Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 1431

Tibet's tense new reality

From nearly any point in Lhasa, capital of China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, you can see at least two police checkpoints. At each one, police officers stand by, wielding a metal pincer devised for handling people who are on fire.  In a city famous for its exotic, otherworldly charm, the police presence is jarring. Read more

Hoping to Save the Remains of a Ming Temple

“Chinese people don’t respect real culture. It’s all about business and financial profit. It’s ridiculous, and it’s the cultural tragedy of China. The West isn’t perfect, but they do protect history. The Communist Party is a revolutionary party and it’s still at it, destroying culture.” - Liu Linian, skuespiller.

Read more

Liu Xiaobo's wife wants to sue the Beijing police

Attorney Shang Baojun  from the law firm Mo Shaoping says that the detention of Liu Xia is clearly contrary to Chinese law. Liu Xia is not charged or convicted of any crime, but has been virtually isolated in the couple's apartment in Beijing since it was announced that her husband was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010. Read more

China-Japan Rift Triggers Charm Offensive for Southeast Asia

China's growing assertiveness with Japan and the U.S. is helping bring a level of attention to Southeast Asia unseen since the Vietnam War, ushering billions of dollars of investment, wider access to trade and stepped-up military assistance. Read more

In China, Mandela Is Claimed by Authorities and Dissidents Alike

The death of Nelson Mandela prompted widespread expressions of sympathy in China, an indication of how his many roles — campaigner in the fight against racial inequality, political prisoner, national leader and senior African statesman — appealed to numerous segments of Chinese society. Read more

As Rover Lands, China Joins Moon Club

China on Saturday became the third country to steer a spacecraft onto the moon after its unmanned Chang’e-3 probe settled onto the Bay of Rainbows, state-run television reported. Read more

“The dream of the Chinese people across thousands of years of landing on the moon has finally been realized with Chang’e.” - China News Service

U.S., Chinese warships narrowly avoid collision in South China Sea

A U.S. guided missile cruiser operating in international waters in the South China Sea was forced to take evasive action last week to avoid a collision with a Chinese warship maneuvering nearby, the U.S. Pacific Fleet said in a statement on Friday. The incident came as the USS Cowpens was operating near China's only aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, and at a time of heightened tensions in the

China Spins Mandela to Fit Its Political Narrative

In 1964, Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid campaigner, was convicted of treason in a South African court and sentenced to life in prison. He spent 27 years behind bars. In 2009, Liu Xiaobo, a veteran human rights advocate, was convicted by a Chinese court of inciting subversion and sentenced to 11 years in prison. He is still behind bars. Read more

Beijing hits out at human rights critics

Beijing officials this week hit out at international concern over its human rights situation, saying that only the Chinese people have the right to speak out on the subject. In the Chinese capital, police swooped on the thousands of petitioners who arrived in the Chinese capital to pursue complaints against the ruling Chinese Communist Party. Read more

Russia selling more arms to China

Faced with severe budget limitations that have been exacerbated by Russia's economic slowdown, the military has little choice but to sell advanced equipment to China, and Beijing is demanding the best. Read more