Or at least that's what Beijing is hoping to do ahead of the September 28 election in the copper-rich African country. China, which has invested hundreds of millions in Zambia in recent years, has threatened to cut diplomatic ties and put investments on hold if citizens elect Michael Sata, the opposition leader gaining ground on the incumbent president. Sata has met with Taiwanese businessmen and once called Taiwan a sovereign state, angering the country's Chinese investors. And it isn't just Taiwan that has irritated the Chinese. Sata has had the courage to come out against worker exploitation in Chinese-owned mines:

They ill-treat our people (and) that is unacceptable. We are not going to condone exploiting investors because this country belongs to Zambians," Sata said in the radio interview.

Be sure to watch that election later this month.