Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 133

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

Trump threatens China: More tariffs are coming on Feb. 1

President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned that even more tariffs could be coming as soon as next week: This time China was his target, as Trump threatened to unleash a wave of higher taxes on imports from America’s second-biggest trading partner.In an Oval Office press conference that echoed similar off-the-cuff remarks on Monday, Trump said that he is considering a 10% across-the-board tariff on

Xi and Putin hold video call after Trump's inauguration

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had a video call hours after Donald Trump was sworn in on Monday, pledging to bring bilateral ties to "greater heights", according to state media on both sides. Calling Xi a "dear friend", Putin said Russia and China were building ties "on the basis of friendship, mutual trust and support" despite external pressure. Xi called

TikTok could be affecting views of young Taiwanese

Young Taiwanese are increasingly consuming Chinese content on TikTok, which is changing their views on identity and making them less resistant toward China, researchers and politicians were cited as saying by foreign media.Asked to suggest the best survival strategy for a small country facing a powerful neighbor, students at National Chia-Yi Girls’ Senior High School said “Taiwan must do

Trump has tossed TikTok a lifeline. But China’s not happy

For many of America’s 170 million TikTok users, US President Donald Trump’s move to delay a legal ban of the popular social media platform was cause for celebration. But in China, where TikTok’s parent company is based, the reception has been less positive, largely because Trump has suggested he could require the company to give up a 50% stake to avert a shutdown and suggested tariffs on Chinese