Quote Originally Posted by davidbfpo View Post
although nearly all Western-owned investment in the Copper Belt has gone, replaced by private PRC companies, will the price of copper - understood to be going up - mean Western investment may return?
Copper prices have been tumbling since June, though of course nobody knows how long that will last. Given the political and security risks involved in African mining, I doubt that there will be much interest from US companies at least. Neither is there any great strategic imperative: Chile, Peru, and US are by far the world's leading producers. If the Chinese want to take the risks in Africa, let 'em. Not like there's a shortage of the stuff.