As Americans bicker over internal issues, the economy, the housing market, the job market, control of Wall Street, oil spilling into the gulf, Cap and Trade, Iraq, Afghanistan, when does Iran become an actionable threat, the rule of law regarding illegal immigrants, and on and on, China is focusing on the bigger picture. Copper.

China, comfortable with the fact America is in debted to them for nearly a trillion dollars and bickering amongst itself, has been quietly buying the world's copper reserves. In addition to these purchases, it has developed massive mining operations in Peru and the Jalrez Valley in Afghanistan. The Afghanistan operation is secured by coalition troops. Weird.

China's reason for the hoarding copper is two fold. Rapid growth and expansion in country and more importantly, "green technology" and programs throughout the the rest of the world. While China grows at an incredible rate and is the largest producer of pollutants, it has no sincere interest in the environment. It does have an interest in cashing in on the folly of other nations however.

Electric cars, windmills and "green technology" require massive amounts of copper.

So, while America and the rest of the world bicker and stumble over bloated government entitlement economies, China is going for the "gold" in copper.