Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 126

WHO urges China to share Covid origins data, five years on from pandemic’s emergence

The World Health Organization has urged China to share data to help understand the origins of Covid-19, five years on from the start of the pandemic in the Chinese city of Wuhan. On December 31, 2019, the WHO’s China office noted a cluster of “pneumonia” cases in a statement from health authorities in Wuhan. More than three weeks later, Chinese authorities locked down the city of 11 million.

Full text of President Xi Jinping's 2025 New Year address

On New Year's eve, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered his 2025 New Year address through China Media Group and the Internet. The following is the full text of the address:"Greetings to everybody! Time flies fast, and the new year will be with us shortly. I extend my best wishes to you all from Beijing. In 2024, we have together journeyed through the four seasons. Together, we have experienced

Uyghur group welcomes key laws passed in US defense bill

Uyghur-American activists have welcomed the 2025 U.S. defense spending bill’s inclusion of key laws aimed at the repression of Uyghurs in China, including one that requires the federal government to monitor rights abuses in Xinjiang and sanction implicated Chinese officials. The 2025 National Defense Authorization Act was passed by the U.S. Congress on Dec. 18 and signed by President Joe Biden on

New Mekong dam project sparks concern in Laos and Thailand

Plans to proceed with a benefits-and-risks review of a proposed hydropower dam on the Mekong River has sparked concern in both Laos and Thailand about the impact on communities and the ecosystem. The US$2-billion, 12-turbine Sanakham hydropower dam will be built about 155 kilometers (100 miles) west of the Lao capital of Vientiane, and 25 km (15 miles) upstream from Sanakham district of Vientiane

Torbjørn Færøvik: Et bedre nytt år? Ja, hvis disse to vil.

Hvordan få folk til å bruke penger i et land hvor halvparten av befolkningen går på luselønn? Hvor streik er et fy-ord og hvor frie fagforeninger er forbudt?Igjen samles kineserne foran TV-apparatene for å lytte til partisjef Xi Jinpings nyttårstale. Men forventningene er ikke store. I en tid hvor Kina trues av amerikanske sanksjoner, vil Xi stimulere det hjemlige forbruket. Men flere hundre

China ramps up combat readiness at Scarborough Shoal

The Chinese military’s Southern Theater Command has staged a large-scale combat readiness exercise around the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, the ministry of defense in Beijing said. Personnel from China’s navy and air force, as well as the coast guard, took part in Sunday’s drills at the group of reefs that China refers to as Huangyan Dao, with a U.S. Navy ocean surveillance

Police called to Chinese Consulate in Manchester after graffiti protest

British police in Manchester were called to the Chinese Consulate over the weekend after staff started an altercation with a Radio Free Asia journalist who filmed them cleaning up Hong Kong protest graffiti on the street outside. Four members of staff surrounded RFA Cantonese Service reporter Matthew Leung on Saturday afternoon after he started taking photos of them scrubbing away slogans in

Former state media journalist flees China amid police harassment

In February 2024, a former journalist with a regional Chinese state-run newspaper left the country with his family of five to join the “run” movement — a mass exodus of people from China following the lifting of pandemic restrictions in late 2022, many of them seeking a life free from ruling Chinese Communist Party surveillance and control.The journalist, who hails from the eastern province of

Chinese media launch campaign to foster US ‘friendship and trust’

 Chinese state media has launched a campaign to highlight friendly cooperation with the United States in an attempt to improve turbulent ties as a new administration under Donald Trump prepares to take office, an analyst said. The state-run People’s Daily and Global Times, which often carry searing criticism of the U.S., called on Dec. 25 for written work, photos and videos from people and

Jimmy Carter played a major role in opening US-China ties

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who has died aged 100, will be remembered in Asia for establishing diplomatic relations with China, a Cold War strategic move that reflected his lifelong concern for the Chinese people. Carter died on Sunday, nearly two years after he entered home hospice care in Plains, Georgia, his family announced.China expressed “deep condolences,” with foreign ministry