Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 1332

For Chinese Economy, Strengths Are Now Weaknesses

China's exports of steel are soaring But that is no a good sign for the economy. Read more 

Criminal Trials Rose Sharply in China’s Far West in 2014, Group Says

The top court in Xinjiang, the vast western region of China troubled by ethnic violence, has posted statistics online showing that criminal trials there increased 40 percent last year over 2013, according to an analysis released on Wednesday by the Dui Hua Foundation, a human rights advocacy group based in the United States. Read more

China’s Tensions With Dalai Lama Spill Into the Afterlife

Chinese Communist Party leaders are afraid that the Dalai Lama will not have an afterlife. Worried enough that this week, officials repeatedly warned that he must reincarnate, and on their terms. Read more

China uses Confucius for political legitimacy

The resurgence of Confucianism in China is of great political significance, because the Chinese Communist Party leadership is keen to reshape the ideological landscape at home. Les mer

Secret Historians Preserve Past in China Amid State Amnesia

Ask the average Chinese under the age of 30 about the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, which scholars say claimed the lives of hundreds of pro-democracy student activists and bystanders in the heart of Beijing, and the answer will likely be ignorance or at best vague recognition. Read more

Beijing’s Fear of Technology

In recent months, as the government tries to get control over the dissemination of information, there has been an uptick in the blocking of foreign websites, a noticeable slowdown in Internet speed and a denial of virtual private network services. Read more

Target for Beijing's Population in 2020 Raised, NPC Deputy Says

Beijing's city government has raised its 2020 population target to 23 million after the capital failed to keep numbers below a previous limit.The city's vice mayor, Li Shixiang, revealed the new target the capital's population at the meeting of China's top legislature, the National People's Congress, of which he is a deputy. Read more

Smog Protesters Detained as China Censors Hard-Hitting Pollution Film

China recently censored "Under the Dome," a hard-hitting documentary film looking at the causes of the country's "airpocalypse" smog problem, taking it down from video-sharing sites after it clocked up more than 150 million online views. Read more

Tibetan Monk is Beaten, Detained Following Solitary Protest

A Tibetan monk living in western China’s Sichuan province was beaten and detained by police this week after he launched a solo protest calling for Tibetan freedom and the return of exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, sources said. Read more

Statement of Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay on the 56th Anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day

My fellow Tibetans, I report to you that the situation in Tibet remains grim but the enduring spirit of Tibetan people is strong and getting stronger. Ever since the 2008 peaceful protests erupted, and the ongoing self-immolation protests throughout the plateau, Tibet is under virtual lockdown. Restrictions on movements of Tibetans have greatly intensified. Read more