Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 114

TORBJØRN FÆRØVIK: DA MAO "FRIGJORDE" TIBET OG DALAI LAMA LA PÅ FLUKT

Tidlig i 1950 sto en vitebegjærlig gutt på taket av det store Potala-palasset i Lhasa og speidet med sin kikkert. Dalai Lama var blitt fjorten år gammel, men ville han noensinne bli innsatt som konge? Fra Beijing kom illevarslende meldinger. Formann Mao ville innlemme Tibet i den nye Folkerepublikken Kina. Mao hadde erobret makten noen måneder tidligere. Nå var «røde soldater» på vei. Kanskje var

Taiwan Shows US Allies How To Win Over Trump

Taiwan showed this month that it was possible to emerge from negotiations with Donald Trump with a win-win deal, after the high-profile breakdown of Trump's recent meeting with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky demonstrated the perils of defying the U.S. president.Last week, Trump announced an additional $100 billion investment in the U.S. semiconductor industry by Taiwan's TSMC, the leading chipmaker

China unveils big plan to fix its ailing economy and transform into a high-tech power

China’s leaders have spent the past week unveiling their plan to steer the world’s second-largest economy through looming challenges by transforming the country into a technological powerhouse and ramping up spending to hit an ambitious growth target. The thousands of delegates who gathered in Beijing for a week-long meeting of China’s rubber-stamp legislature voted almost unanimously Tuesday to

Former Philippine President Duterte forced onto plane to The Hague after ICC arrest, his daughter says

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has been “forcibly taken” onto a plane headed for The Hague, his daughter said on Tuesday, hours after his dramatic arrest on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant over a brutal, years-long anti-drugs crackdown that left thousands of his citizens dead.Duterte was placed on a flight late on Tuesday, his daughter and local outlet The Philippine

How Duterte went from boasting about killing drug dealers to facing trial for crimes against humanity

An elected leader once dubbed “The Punisher” is on his way to The Hague to face trial for crimes against humanity during a brutal war on drugs, in a breathtaking reversal of fortune for a politician who once openly boasted about killing people and placing opponents on hit lists. Rodrigo Duterte ran the Philippines for six turbulent years, during which he oversaw a brutal crackdown on drugs,

Trump's Spat With Ukraine Opens Door for China in Europe

President Donald Trump's tariffs on U.S. allies and rivals, along with his relationship with of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have fueled doubts in Europe about America's reliability while presenting China with an opportunity.Former President Joe Biden fostered closer transatlantic coordination with Europe on China, aligning with Brussels in viewing Beijing as a military challenge and an

US Turning Attention to Taiwan After Ukraine War, Envoy Says

United States envoy in Taiwan said Washington will turn its attention to the self-ruled island, which is threatened by China, should the three-year-long Russia-Ukraine war end. The Chinese communist government has claimed that Taiwan is its territory despite never having ruled the island, warning that it "reserves all options," including the use of force.While the U.S. does not have an official

China ramps up surveillance of residents through video cameras

 Authorities in a single district of the southwestern megacity of Chongqing have installed 27,900 surveillance cameras and 245 sensors as part of a comprehensive “grid” surveillance plan to keep tabs on residents, officials from the district said Monday. The move offers a rare glimpse into the running of China’s “grid” system -- the close-up monitoring of every aspect of its citizens' lives

Tibetans mark 1959 revolt with rallies in Europe, North America and India

Tibetans around the world on Monday marked the 1959 uprising against Chinese rule with protests in cities across Europe, North America and India as thousands marched for an end to Chinese oppression. With faces painted in the blue and red of the Tibetan national flag –- and shouting slogans in a slew of different languages -– Tibetans and their supporters rallied in Sydney, Taipei, London, New

China unveils big plan to fix its ailing economy and transform into a high-tech power

China’s leaders have spent the past week unveiling their plan to steer the world’s second-largest economy through looming challenges by transforming the country into a technological powerhouse and ramping up spending to hit an ambitious growth target.The thousands of delegates who gathered in Beijing for China’s week-long “two sessions” meeting of its rubber stamp legislature and top political