Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 142

Russia, North Korea lost ‘up to a battalion’ of soldiers in Kursk: Zelenskyy

 Russian and North Korean forces “lost up to a battalion of infantry” in two days of battles near the village of Makhnovka in Russia’s Kursk region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, estimating total North Korean casualties at about 3,800. Up to 12,000 North Korean soldiers are in Russia to support its war efforts against Ukraine in Kursk, Ukraine and the U.S. say, but neither

Chinese Diaspora in the U.S. Braces for Trump’s Second Term

Like other marginalized groups in the U.S., Chinese migrants and students are anxiously preparing for the policy changes under a second presidential term of Donald Trump. The president-elect has promised to implement mass deportation that would target millions of people, and top figures in his orbit have backed plans, targeting China, to purge “un-American” elements from the body politic. Many in

2024’s Most Notable Censored Articles and Essays (Part 2)

China Digital Times' editors are compiling a series of the most notable content (Chinese) from across the Chinese internet over the past year. Topics include this year’s most outstanding quotes, reports, podcasts and videos, sensitive words, censored articles and essays, “People of the Year,” and CDT’s “2024 Editors’ Picks.”In this Part 2 post about 2024’s most notable censored articles and

Robert Barnett: The Tibetan Government-in-Exile Has a New Strategy

An unexpected development has taken place in the seven-decades-long dispute between the Tibetan exile leadership and China’s government. In early July, for the first time since 2010, Chinese authorities reportedly held direct talks with the exile Tibetan political leadership, based in Dharamsala, India. The meeting in July followed a year or more of back-channel contacts of some kind.These talks

Laos must appease China or embrace austerity to reduce staggering debt

The communist apparatchiks who run Laos must appease China if they are to stop their national debt crisis from worsening and avoid an outright default. The IMF’s latest report on Laos, released last month, was particularly damning about the country’s future. Real GDP growth likely peaked this year, at around 4.1 percent, and will slide from 3.5 percent next year down to 2.5 percent by 2029.In

Xi Jinping’s talk of ‘rainbows’ belies simmering public anger over China’s economy

Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed the new year with an upbeat speech to the nation complete with rainbows, claims of economic recovery and concern for the struggles of ordinary Chinese that commentators said belied simmering public anger over his handling of the economy. “Together, we have experienced winds and rains and seen rainbows,” Xi told the nation in a speech marking the start to 2025

South China Sea: 5 things to watch in 2025

The South China Sea has become one of the world’s most perilous geopolitical hot spots in recent years, with China stepping up the reinforcement of its expansive claims and countries from outside the region getting increasingly involved. Here are five areas to watch in 2025:The situation in the Taiwan Strait has been becoming notably more tense, with nearly 3,000 incursions into Taiwan’s air

Will China Invade Taiwan in 2025?

Experts have told Newsweek that China will continue to escalate against Taiwan in the new year as the "unpredictable" Donald Trump takes office as U.S. president later this month. Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. State Department and Trump's transition team, as well as the Chinese Embassy and Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington, D.C., for comment by email.China

Donald Trump Doesn't Want to Ban TikTok Because He Gets Billions of Views

President-elect Donald Trump said he does not want to ban TikTok as he apparently gets billions of views on the social media app. In a post on Truth Social early Friday morning, the president-elect wrote, "Why would I want to get rid of TikTok?" alongside a graphic showing Trump-related content receives billions of views on the app. The source of the graphic is unclear and Newsweek could not

Three Issues That Could Shake China's Vulnerable Economy in 2025

Beijing hopes its recent moves to stimulate the world's second-largest economy will bear fruit this year. An ongoing property sector crisis, deflationary pressures exacerbated by muted consumer confidence and the specter of tariff hikes pledged by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump loom large over China's 2025 growth prospects.The country's economy has failed to roar back after the government