The US and EU countered China's BRI in Africa's copper belt. It fell apart in under a year.

American logistic expert video reports from China with Chinese subtitles: The US and EU countered China's BRI in Africa's copper belt. It fell apart in under a year. 美國物流專家從中國發回視頻: 報道，附中文字幕: 美欧在非洲铜带抗衡中国"一带一路"倡议，不料联盟未满一年便分崩离析.

Zambia sits upon some of the world's richest copper ores which are highly prized by China's factory sector and by Western companies.

The race is on to build a railroad to Zambia. The US and EU hoped to lay track through the DRC, which would connect Zambia to Lobito, a port on the Atlantic Ocean.

Chinese companies decided on multibillion-dollar upgrade to an existing railway from Tanzania, called the Tazara Line.

The Lobito Plan was doomed from the start. Financing for the project fell apart as the Trump Administration froze funds, and the war in Ukraine bled dry the EU's budgets.

The Tazara Line, meanwhile, is already laying new track, and Chinese mining companies are signing deals across Zambia to bring new copper and cobalt production online.

赞比亚坐拥全球最丰富的铜矿资源，这些矿产既是中国制造业的重要原料，也深受西方企业青睐。

通往赞比亚的铁路争夺战已然打响。美欧原本计划铺设经刚果民主共和国的铁路，将赞比亚与大西洋沿岸港口洛比托相连。而中方企业则决定对既有坦赞铁路进行数十亿美元升级改造。

洛比托计划从伊始就注定失败。由于特朗普政府冻结资金，加之乌克兰战争耗尽欧盟预算，项目融资彻底崩盘。反观坦赞铁路，现已开展新轨道铺设工程，中国矿业公司正与赞比亚各地签署协议，即将启动新的铜钴生产项目。