Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 132

British court names alleged Chinese spy who forged close ties to Prince Andrew

An alleged Chinese spy who forged a close relationship with Prince Andrew has been identified by a British court, the latest twist in a case that has shone a light on Beijing’s influence inside Britain’s institutions.The man, Yang Tengbo, was identified after a judge ruled his anonymity should be removed, PA Media reported on Monday. Yang, who also went by the name Chris Yang, was described in a

The retreat from the world’s largest auto market has begun

It wasn’t long ago that China was by far the largest and most profitable market for General Motors. While the company was hemorrhaging money in North America and Europe, and hurtling towards bankruptcy and a bailout, sales and profits from China allowed it to keep the lights on.Now the opposite is true. GM is making record profits at home, but it’s losing enough money in China that there are

China extends visa-free transit policy to 10 days as part of efforts to lure more foreign tourists

China has tripled the amount of time visitors can spend in the country without a visa in yet another move to entice more foreign tourists. The Chinese State Administration of Immigration announced the country will expand its visa-free layover period to 240 hours (10 days) across the board. Previously, there were two tiers, allowing eligible travelers to visit for 72 hours (3 days) or 144 hours (6

China signals it’s prepared to double down on support for the economy as Trump tariffs loom

Chinese leaders met this week to plot economic policy for the coming year, sketching out plans to raise government spending and relax Beijing’s monetary policy to encourage more investment and consumer spending.Leaders of the ruling Communist Party wrapped up their two-day Central Economic Work Conference on Thursday with praise for President Xi Jinping’s guidance and a pledge to “enrich and

Torbjørn Færøvik: Neste år blir vanskelig for Sør-Korea

Presidenten i Sør-Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, stilles trolig for riksrett. Vedtaket i nasjonalforsamlingen i går kom ikke uventet, men skapte store overskrifter hjemme som ute. Oppstyret forteller at Sør-Korea til tross for sin beskjedne størrelse er et viktig land i Asia og verden.Vedtaket skal granskes og godkjennes av landets grunnlovsdomstol før en eventuell riksrett, et arbeid som kan ta seks

Dam Construction in Tibet Threatens Local Communities and Environment

Infrastructure projects in Tibet have often drawn controversy for failing to balance development, human rights, and environmental protection. As CDT has covered this year, state-sponsored hydropower projects have forcibly displaced local communities and led to violent reprisals against protesters. A series of recent reports expand on this topic to highlight the social and environmental perils of

Interview: Gerald Roche on the Erasure of Tibet’s Minority Languages

As the Chinese Communist Party has intensified its policy of assimilation for cultural and ethnic minority groups in recent decades, language has been a key part of that effort. Standard Tibetan is recognized as the official language of the Tibetans, who live throughout the Tibet Autonomous Region as well as in Tibetan areas in current Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. Yet

The Paradox of Bride Price in Contemporary China: Q&A with Shirley Xinyi Cai

Shirley Xinyi Cai is a researcher in comparative politics and political theory, pursuing a Ph.D. in Political Science at McGill University. One of her ongoing projects is about the caili (彩礼, i.e. bride price or betrothal gift), a deep-rooted marriage custom that calls on the family of the groom-to-be to pay a sum of money to the bride’s family.ChinaFile editorial fellow Jeremy Goldkorn did a Q&

US and China renew science sharing deal, but pare it back

The United States and China on Friday inked an agreement to extend and amend a decades-old deal to collaborate on science and technology research, which had expired in August. The signing of the new deal by the Biden administration in the “lame duck” period before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20 came in spite of strong opposition from leading Republicans in Congress.The

Torbjørn Færøvik: Matteo Ricci - Den viste mann fra Vesterland

Den italienske jesuitten Matteo Ricci ville frelse Østens millioner av hedninger og dro av sted i 1577. Skuta i Lisboas travle havn hadde plass til fem hundre passasjerer. Før den rundet Afrikas sørspiss, hadde flere av dem dødd, men kapteinen visste råd og fylte de ledige plassene med afrikanske slaver.Seilasen over Det indiske hav ble et sant mareritt, og Ricci må ha trukket et lettelsens sukk