Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 107

China extends prison term for Tibetan environmental activist after he rejects charges

Chinese authorities have extended the prison sentence of a Tibetan environmental activist from Sichuan province by an additional eight months after he rejected charges of “disrupting social order,” two sources from inside Tibet told Radio Free Asia. In a video clip posted in October on the Chinese social media platform WeChat, Tsongon Tsering, 29, spoke out against the illegal extraction of sand

INTERVIEW: A former China correspondent examines identity and control under Xi

After nearly a decade covering China as an NPR correspondent, Emily Feng returned to Washington, D.C. Her reporting spanned a period of profound social and economic change : Xi Jinping’s consolidation of power; the Xinjiang detention camps; Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement and the crackdown against it; China’s strict zero-COVID policy; and the country’s transformation into a surveillance

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio Snubs G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in South Africa

A meeting of foreign ministers from G20 countries will take place in Johannesburg on Thursday, but U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not attend amid diplomatic tensions between South Africa and the U.S. Diplomats including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are expected to attend the gathering, while the U.S. will be represented by acting ambassador

South Korea requests to be excluded from Trump’s efforts to increase tariffs

South Korean officials have asked the Trump administration to exclude their country from U.S. plans to impose aggressive tariffs on trade partners, emphasizing that Seoul is already applying low duties on American products under the free trade agreement between the two nations.South Korea’s government on Friday said Deputy Trade Minister Park Jong-won made the request while traveling to

Tibetan netizens mourn death of ‘patriotic singer’ Lobsang

Popular Tibetan singer Lobsang, who was frequently detained and interrogated by Chinese authorities for music that was patriotic and critical of Chinese policies, has died following a prolonged illness, according to two sources, one in Tibet and one in exile. He was 39.Lobsang, who became famous at a young age and produced eight albums, died on Feb. 18 of a liver disease at a hospital in the city

Prominent Uyghur historian sentenced to 17 years in prison

 A prominent Uyghur historian and expert in Uyghur place names is serving a 17-year prison sentence for his writings, people with knowledge of the situation said. Ghojaniyaz Yollugh Tekin, 59, was an educator at the Aksu Education Institute in the city of Aksu in the north of China’s far-western Xinjiang region. His research and publications focused on Uyghur toponymy — the linguistic

Commercial airlines warned as Chinese navy holds live fire exercise off Australia

Airlines have been contacted by Australia’s air traffic control agency warning them of reports of live fire off the country’s east coast where a Chinese navy task group has been operating, the agency and Australian officials said. A People’s Liberation Army Navy frigate, cruiser and replenishment vessel last week entered Australia’s maritime approaches, and travelled down Australia’s east coast

Hong Kong's main opposition party announces plan to dissolve

The leaders of Hong Kong's Democratic Party have announced plans to dissolve what was once the city's largest opposition group. Members will soon vote on the final decision on whether to shut down the 31-year-old party, chairman Lo Kin-hei said. The party has been struggling to survive following moves by China to crack down on dissent in the city in the wake of the 2019 protests. Beijing and Hong

What does Jack Ma's return to the spotlight mean?

A meeting between Chinese president Xi Jinping and some of the country's foremost business leaders this week has fuelled excitement and speculation, after Alibaba founder Jack Ma was pictured at the event. The charismatic and colourful Mr Ma, who was one of China's most prominent businessmen, had withdrawn from public life after criticising China's financial sector in 2020.His reappearance at

South Korea’s Yoon attends first trial hearing for insurrection

South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared in a Seoul court on Thursday for his first trial hearing on charges of insurrection in the country’s first criminal prosecution of an incumbent leader. Last month prosecutors indicted Yoon after accusing him of leading an insurrection with his short-lived imposition of martial law on December 3.A justice ministry motorcade took Yoon from