Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 104

Thailand’s secret deportation of Uyghurs to China a win for Beijing, snub to US

The secret deportation by Thailand of dozens of Uyghurs to China that has sparked international condemnation is a diplomatic win for Beijing and a snub to the United States and the United Nations, who had long warned that the men would face torture and imprisonment if they were returned home. The 40 men had fled China in 2014, arriving in Thailand where they were arrested and later spent more

Exclusive: US intel shows Russia and China are attempting to recruit disgruntled federal employees, sources say

Foreign adversaries including Russia and China have recently directed their intelligence services to ramp up recruiting of US federal employees working in national security, targeting those who have been fired or feel they could be soon, according to four people familiar with recent US intelligence on the issue and a document reviewed by CNN.The intelligence indicates that foreign adversaries are

Rubio accuses China of ‘reverse’ Opium War via fentanyl

 U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday suggested Beijing may be “deliberately” flooding America with the synthetic opioid fentanyl, in a “reverse” form of the mid-1800s Opium Wars that enfeebled China’s international standing. U.S. officials blame fentanyl for ravaging communities and causing the overdose deaths of tens of thousands of Americans a year. Mexican transnational

Report: China has half a million Uyghurs in prison or detention

China still has more than half a million Uyghurs in prisons or detention centers and has expanded its repression of the ethnic group, a new report says, despite Beijing’s assurances that the northwestern region of Xinjiang has returned to normalcy. Another 3 million Uyghurs were subjected to forced labor in 2023, according to the 30-page report by the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of

EXPLAINED: Thailand’s repatriation of 40 Uyghur refugees to China

Thailand’s decision to deport 40 Uyghurs back to China after languishing in a Bangkok detention center for over a decade raises concerns about their fate -- and questions about what they were doing there in the first place. What is known about the Uyghurs sent back to China from Thailand?The men originally came from the Xinjiang region of northwestern China where 12 million Uyghurs live under

EU, India agree to finalize free-trade pact this year, von der Leyen says

India and the European Union will push to finalize a free-trade agreement this year, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday. In a keynote speech during her two-day visit to New Delhi, von der Leyen said a closer alliance with India would be “a cornerstone of Europe’s policy in the years and decades to come,” built on enhanced cooperation on trade, technology, security

China connects everything to DeepSeek in nationwide plan

China now connects everything – from chatbots and smart vehicles to government departments and schools – to DeepSeek, an artificial intelligence (AI) model that emerged and became famous last month. Baidu, a Chinese search engine, announced that its chatbot Ernie Bot 4.9 version now integrates with DeepSeek-R1 to enhance students’ problem-solving capability. Students can take a picture of a

China’s AI boom bigger than just DeepSeek

When small Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company DeepSeek released a family of extremely efficient and highly competitive AI models last month, it rocked the global tech community. The release revealed China’s growing technological prowess. It also showcased a distinctly Chinese approach to AI advancement. This approach is characterized by strategic investment, efficient innovation and

Trump says US will impose additional 10% tariff on China

Donald Trump said he planned to hit goods from China with a new 10% tariff, the latest salvo in the US president's steadily escalating trade fights. Imports from China already face taxes at the border of at least 10%, after a Trump tariff order that went into effect earlier this month. China's ministry of foreign affairs said it "strongly" expressed its "dissatisfaction and resolute opposition"

TORBJØRN FÆRØVIK: NÅR KRUTTRØYKEN LETTER I UKRAINA, FÅR VI ENDA MER KINA

Et forvokst barn i Washington har satt verden på hodet. Noen gråter, andre ler. Blant de siste er Kina, som ser en mulighet til å fylle litt av tomrommet etter USA, også i Europa.Vår egen verdensdel, splittet som den er, har lenge vært et prioritert område for kinesiske fremstøt. Lederne i Beijing har i årevis fulgt den indre krangelen i EU og NATO med argusøyne. Med Trump ved roret på den andre