Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 1311

Jung Chang Exclusive Interview: Commitment to Justice Is Foundation of Her Writing (Video)

Jung Chang always knew she was destined to become a writer, but living in China under the tyranny of Mao Zedong, she said “it was impossible for me to even dream of being a writer.” Read more

China agrees to phase out its ivory industry to combat elephant poaching

China has committed to phasing out the domestic manufacture and sale of ivory products for the first time. Conservation groups said the announcement was “the single greatest measure” in the fight to save the last African elephants from poaching. Read more

Chinese Security Laws Elevate the Party and Stifle Dissent. Mao Would Approve.

The national security law explicitly mentions the need to teach China’s 1.3 billion people about the security and ideological needs of the state and the party. One clause commands institutions to “strengthen guidance on news, propaganda and public opinion about national security.” Read more

Malaysia bars entry to prominent Hong Kong democracy activists

Malaysia has denied entry to prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy legislator Leung Kwok-Hung, also known as "Long Hair," days after also turning away student protester Joshua Wong over fears his visit would damage the country's ties with China. Read more

China has artillery vehicles on artificial island in South China Sea, US said

Two large artillery vehicles were detected on one of the artificial islands China is creating in the South China Sea, US officials said on Friday, underscoring ongoing concerns that Beijing may try to use the land reclamation projects for military purposes. Read more

US-China tensions rise over Beijing's 'Great Wall of Sand'

You often hear politicians and strategic thinkers talk about establishing "facts on the ground" - the need to take account of what actually exists when framing policy. Well in the South China Sea, the Chinese government is going one step further. As defence ministers and strategic thinkers from across the Asia-Pacific region gather for the annual Shanri-La Dialogue in Singapore, China is not

Dalai Lama Urges Aung San Suu Kyi To Speak Out For Rohingya Muslims

The Dalai Lama has urged Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's pro-democracy icon and a fellow Nobel Peace Prize laureate, to speak out to protect her country's persecuted Rohingya Muslims amid a human trafficking crisis, a newspaper reported Thursday. Read more

26 years on, we still live in the shadow of June 4, 1989

The legacies of '89 are multiple and wide-ranging. Read more

Congress Seeks to Arm U.S. Allies in the Pacific to Counter China

Lawmakers are hoping to arm and train U.S. allies in the Pacific as a way to counter China’s increasingly assertive behavior in the region. As part of a markup of the 2016 defense bill, lawmakers from the Senate Armed Services Committee, or SASC, have added a “China Sea Initiative” designed to challenge China’s activities by supporting U.S. allies in the region. Read more

China’s Global Hunt for Fugitives: What Beijing Needs to Get Right

Most of these fugitives are believed to live in English-speaking Western countries, with the U.S. and Canada the most popular destinations. Neither country has an extradition treaty with China, largely owing to their concerns about the death penalty, human rights violations, and due process of law in China. For lack of such treaties, Chinese attempts to pursue fugitive officials have proven