I have very un ezy feelings about this china trip. Feels like I've put the kids in the play pen with a knife block full of my sharpest knives.
I know what you mean.
The thing is he doesn't need to go to china to screw over AVZ if he wanted to.
And china don't need to meet in person to offer bribes.
I think we're all imagining them getting together for poker, getting loaded and laughing about old times, then they bring in the girls. Afterwards throw an arm around a jolly DRC president and smiling with a fat brown paper bag offered say, "so how about that silly old mine in Manono?"
They're a major partner with the DRC with business and all that, a trip there is completely normal.
Keep this in mind, a major part of the visit is in regards to the predatory deals china has in the DRC mining sector, and all that negative attention is good for us non chinese who have offered everything above board, and fair.
In the midst of this diplomacy and renegotiation with respect to china not doing the right thing, imagine them offering more bribes for Manono!
It wouldn't go down too well.
They are welcome to take Manono legaly at a fair price, if they want the thing at all costs, there is always that.
No doubt they will apply pressure to get what they want, and that's what they've been doing in the past to get the mining deals that favor them.
It's possible he might even be asking them to tell Z to back off so they can get this thing into operation.
His ministers are implicated in this corruption with Z, and China are likely holding them to the fire over this.
I believe it's in Felix's best interest to negotiate a way for them to back off.
Screwing over AVZ will be very bad for them, particularly with the USA suddenly in the picture.
Actually that makes me think, part of the visit would be diplomacy about the USA entering into the DRC, as china would be spewin' about that.
It all needs to be smoothed over form the perspective of the DRC.
I would imagine.
