News Analysis Unbeknownst to most of the world, the Chinese are hard at work exploiting African mineral wealth. The major component of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping’s plan for China to become the world’s leading economic power is the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI goal is to develop a global infrastructure controlled by communist China. The infrastructure elements are focused on the development of transportation assets such as roads, ports, railroads, bridges, etc., that can later be exploited by Beijing to transport the resources and raw materials needed to fuel Chinese manufacturing concerns, as well as on mineral, oil, and gas extraction as appropriate. The transportation networks will also support the exportation and delivery of finished Chinese goods to overseas markets around the world. BRI investments also include renewable energy projects, communications infrastructures, and cultural exchanges. Because of its vast mineral wealth, Chinese investment in Africa features …