Cue the freakout

The Chinese Ambassador to Zambia has apparently decided that the people of Zambia better be careful who they vote for, because, you know, accidents happen:

The Chinese government has intervened in Zambia’s upcoming presidential election in a forceful sign of the commodity-hungry country’s growing economic and political clout in Africa.

Li Baodong, China’s ambassador in Lusaka, said Beijing might cut diplomatic relations with Zambia if voters elected Michael Sata, an opposition candidate, as president, Zambian media reported on Tuesday.

Now before we all decide to start World War Whatever to Liberate Zambia from the Butchers of Lusaka, I would hope (probably in vain) that Americans and other Conservatives would remember, say, this:

SAN SALVADOR – On the stump the right-wing presidential candidate touts his tight relations with the United States government and warns of a communist threat. The left-wing party is running a former guerrilla commander and avowed communist. The US is taking sides....

In February, Assistant Secretary of State Roger Noriega told voters to "consider what kind of a relationship they want a new administration to have with us." He met with all the candidates except Mr. Handal.

The threats to El Salvador were not, shall we say, subtle. Otto Reich came out and said that El Salvadorans living in America could be deported if the Handal won.

In any case, the actual dispute in Zambia is entirely predictable:

Mr Sata is challenging Levy Mwanawasa, the incumbent president, in the September 28 election. Mr Sata has been quoted calling Taiwan a “sovereign state,” angering China, and has also spoken out against Chinese labour practices in Zambia. Recognition of Taiwan would mean turning away from the country’s ties with Beijing.

Nevertheless, I'm sure that the American media can be counted on to claim that the Zambian government is a puppet of Beijing and that Mwanawasa is the next Mugabe or whatnot. This is, after all, the media that uncritically praised the coup in Venezuela.

Let Operation Zambian Freedom begin!