RE:China?? pfft. Doesn't mean much...Graffiti,
Not holding elections is completely logical and rational. If an opposition party wins, Kabila's own life, as well as those of his immediate family, could easily be at risk. Congo is a seriously dangerous place. At times human life is worth nothing. And Kabila didn't create those conditions. Rather he inherited it, along with all the corruption. When he was first asked to be President, he flat out turned it down, fearing for his own life. When you lose these elections you can really lose.
After a visit to Congo, Nikki Haley basically told him to stop stonewalling and get it done. If not for her, elections would have been postponed indefinitely. Elections are scheduled for Dec 23. Feasibility for both K-K and Kipushi should take the rest of 2018. This means a decision to advance these projects to construction should take place post election. While talks over the mining law are occurring this week, the Company must also be watching the political horizon.
China is a separate issue. They're an unknown quantity. Western miners would resort to legal recourse and heavy diplomatic pressure. Yet Chinese state owned miners, may have access to extrajudicial options as well for political enemies. I have no idea. Think of the CIA in the 50's and 60's and some of the things they did. If anything like that were to happen, it's guaranteed we'd never learn about it. You don't need a handy military base for operations like that. Operators can move in and out like smoke. This doesn't have to happen. I'm only saying it's possible. There's no way for us to know if those capabilities even exist. If it were me though, I'd probably think twice before sticking it to the Chinese government. They may not be willing to wait patiently for a legal decision in Paris.