Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 116

North Korea ‘accelerating’ preparations for more troops to Kursk: Seoul

 North Korea is accelerating preparations to send more troops to Russia amid an increasing number of casualties, South Korea said on Friday, while Ukraine said the North’s additional support would mainly include missile and artillery troops. About 4,000 of the up to 12,000 North Korean troops dispatched to Russia’s Kursk region to help it in its war against Ukraine have been killed or

China made a bet decades ago because it couldn’t compete with the US on cars. That bet is paying off big

The streets of Beijing have changed dramatically within just a few years. The noisy, smelly thrum of traffic has been replaced by an unusual quiet for a megacity. Roads course with a stream of mostly electric vehicles, all with their distinct, green license plates.This is not just a Beijing phenomenon. For those arriving in many of China’s major cities from countries dominated by gas-guzzlers,

Trump 2.0 is going well for China so far. But can the honeymoon last?

Donald Trump’s second term in office is getting off to a good start for China. The new US president has so far refrained from acting on his threat to slap hefty tariffs on China, told business and political leaders at an economic forum in Davos that the two countries could have a “very good relationship” and reportedly expressed interest in visiting the Chinese capital in the months ahead.Trump

US freedom of navigation operations ‘unsuccessful,’ study says

So-called freedom of navigation operations, or FONOPs, that the U.S. Navy has been carrying out against China’s extensive maritime claims in the South China Sea, have proved ineffective and even risk escalating tensions, Australian research found. The findings, in the paper “Don’t Shoot the Messenger: Perception & Misperception in the South China Sea,” by Nell Bennett, are part of the Blue

Cash-strapped Chinese take the slow train home for Lunar New Year

Ordinary Chinese are taking to trains, planes and automobiles amid the Lunar New Year travel rush that will see hundreds of millions head home to usher in the Year of the Snake, but the economic downturn is biting deep, sending many to the bottom of the ladder.Many are taking to the older, slower “green trains,” rather than those on the country’s formidable high-speed rail network, as social

At least 8 Tibetan monasteries, nunneries heavily damaged by earthquake

At least eight Buddhist monasteries and nunneries in southern Tibet have been severely damaged by the recent 7.1-magnitude earthquake, sources in the region told Radio Free Asia. The Jan. 7 quake that truck Tibet’s Dingri and Lhatse counties left 126 people dead, Chinese state media says — although Tibetan sources believe the toll to be higher — and damaged thousands of buildings.All told, an

Inside the secret, dangerous journey to flee Tibet

Norbu was only 17 the first time he helped smuggle Tibetans out of Tibet. One cog in a well-oiled machine, Norbu — who is being referred to as a pseudonym for security reasons — played the role of a guide. His job was to meet small groups of escapees at the Dram border (Zhangmu) in southwest Tibet and lead them along remote pathways into the safety of Nepal. All were fleeing Chinese repression

Taiwan’s record budget cuts raise concerns over defense readiness

Taiwan’s opposition parties, which control the legislature, have forced through a 6.6% cut in the 2025 budget, which the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, or DPP, described as a “hostile” attempt that poses an “unprecedented” security risk. The island’s Legislative Yuan approved the 2025 central government general budget on Tuesday, which saw a record cut of approximately $207.5 billion New

The US is right to be concerned about China’s influence over the Panama Canal

President-elect Donald Trump’s recent rhetoric on territorial ambitions in the Western Hemisphere—ranging from retaking the Panama Canal and buying Greenland to annexing Canada—has generated significant attention and speculation about the incoming administration’s plans. Among these imperialist ambitions, the reclamation of the Panama Canal stands out as a focal point of immediate and relevant

Torbjørn Færøvik: Nei, Kina kontrollerer ikke Panama-kanalen

Donald Trumps innsettelsestale ble som ventet spekket med løgner og omtrentligheter. Et stykke ut i sin monotone klagesang hevdet han at Kina drifter den strategisk viktige Panamakanalen: ”Men vi ga den ikke til Kina. Vi ga den til Panama, og nå tar vi den tilbake.”Det lød som en krigserklæring, og alarmklokkene ringte straks i regjeringskontorene i Panama City. ”Uaktuelt”, svarte landets