Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 1421

On Defensive, JPMorgan Hired China’s Elite

In a series of late-night emails, JPMorgan Chase executives in Hong Kong lamented the loss of a lucrative assignment. “We lost a deal to DB today because they got chairman’s daughter work for them this summer,” one JPMorgan investment banking executive remarked to colleagues, using the initials for  Deutsche Bank. Read more

Kinesisk telegigant benekter uærlig spill

Det kinesiske teleselskapet Huawei vokser i rekordfart og får stadig flere oppdrag utenfor landets grenser, også i de nordiske land.  Men har det rent mel i posen? Mange stiller seg kritiske til Huawei og mistenker det for spionasje. Aftenposten har besøkt selskapets hovedkvarter i Shenzhen. Les mer

Remembering 30 Percent of Chairman Mao's Legacy

The 20th century saw three great political myths. The myths of Hitler and Stalin have been annihilated, but the myth of Mao Zedong still haunts China today. Read more

China Detains Tibetan Monk and Supporters

Chinese authorities have detained a highly regarded Tibetan monk and 16 of his supporters, a Tibetan writer said Friday, as Beijing tightens its grip over the region. Read more

Vested interests block reconciliation in Tibet

President Xi Jinping is in the best position to overhaul China's hardline Tibet
policy. He is untainted by any heavy-handed crackdown on Tibetan protests. For
him to develop a robust and healthy Tibet policy that leads to reconciliation
between the Tibetan people and Beijing, he needs to first overcome internal
bureaucratic resistance and inertia. Read more

A Minority in the Middle Kingdom: My Experience Being Black in China

In the 1996 China edition of the Lonely Planet’s Guidebook, a text box aside comment from a street interview provided some interesting conversation fodder, “…there is no racism in China because there are no black people,” a Chinese woman was reported to have said. This became a little running joke in my small study abroad circle, since I was the only black student in my program of fifty students.

Chinese Race and Democracy — Debunking an Old Anxiety

"If you speak of constitutionalism or democracy, people may accuse you of being ‘a fan of America’…and accuse you of being part of an American conspiracy. Actually, Americans who wish for China to take the path of constitutionalism and democracy all love China…" Read more

Here's the truth about Shanghai schools: they're terrible

The western world watches China's  rise as a formidable world-power with a mixture of awe and apprehension. The US is desperate, and naturally the Chinese educational system seems like an answer. But let me tell you – this is not the case. I know; for two years I attended a local Shanghainese high school and this is the truth: they are terrible. Read more

Are the Chinese cheating in PISA?

Or are we cheating ourselves? Whenever an American or European wins an Olympic gold medal, we cheer them as heroes. When a Chinese does, the first reflex seems to be that they must have been doping. There seem to be parallels to this in education. Read more

Kinesiske "folkevalgte" går av etter skandale

Mer enn fem hundre "folkevalgte" i Hunan-provinsen har trukket seg fra sine verv etter å ha gjort seg skyldige i korrupsjon. Les mer