It's hard to value the actual investment, given all the stuff and people they're investing is all theirs to begin with. There's very little actual cash changing hands. Tax and royalties on mining is often dodged or offset too.
But the "hundreds of millions" is what it would cost a western country to buy [from China]. You're right though, China isn't losing hundreds of millions for the investment. Probably only a tiny fraction of that.
Re:China's Subprime Crisis Is Here
by forgetsusername on Wednesday February 17, 2016 @07:27AM
(#11117344)
>They're playing a very long game, and they're incredibly good at it.
People underestimate the ability of a country like China to utilize decades of modern economic thought and their willingness to apply it.
> They're investing hundreds of millions in exchange for the infrastructure they use to strip-mine a country.
They aren't even investing that much. The equipment is all being bought — from government-owned companies — with government grant money.
They're playing a very long game, and they're incredibly good at it.