Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 144

China’s Commodification of Minorities: Colourful dances and sanitized theme parks

This summer, I returned to China after nearly a decade to conduct fieldwork among Tibetan communities in Sichuan Province. As a scholar of Chinese and Tibetan culture who has spent significant time in China over the past two decades, I have had the opportunity to observe the transformations as Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary Xi Jinping has centralized power and revitalized Chinese

Trains: A Chinese Family History of Railway Journeys, Exile, and Survival

I liked trains as a child. Beijing Railway Station, a Soviet-style landmark constructed in 1959—the year I was born—was just two bus stops southwest of our apartment. Beijing had few tall buildings then, so we enjoyed an unobstructed view of the station from our balcony. On a clear day, it looked postcard-perfect with the elegant twin clock towers carved into the blue sky.Every morning, I crossed

Fiskeriministeren på heisatur til Kina - vil selge enda mer norsk sjømat

– Laksen er særdeles populær. Men også torsken, kongekrabbe og levende snøkrabbe. Og makrell.Marianne Sivertsen Næss (Ap) lister opp alt hun vil Norge skal selge i store kvantum. Fiskeriministeren dagdrømmer imidlertid ikke, der hun suser av gårde i retning Beijing på et lyntog samferdselsminister Jon-Ivar Nygaard (også Ap) kanskje ville vært misunnelig på. Kineserne sikler allerede etter all

Mandarin speech contests in Tibet are attempts to erase native language, experts say

Chinese authorities in Tibet are organizing Mandarin speech competitions in what analysts told Radio Free Asia is another ploy by Beijing to erase Tibetan language and culture. On Nov. 9 and 10, some 33 Tibetans competed the National Common Language Speech Contest in the regional capital of LhasaThough there are many dialects of Chinese spoken in the country, as well as many other languages,

China hawk Marco Rubio nominated for US secretary of state

 Marco Rubio, a strident foreign policy “hawk” when it comes to relations with China, has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as the next U.S. secretary of state. The Republican senator from Trump’s adopted home state of Florida is almost certain to be confirmed as America’s top diplomat by his soon-to-be former colleagues, with the Republican Party now controlling the

Jakarta seeks to contain fallout from South China Sea agreement with Beijing

Indonesia is seeking to contain the fallout from a maritime cooperation agreement with China that analysts say appears to indicate a softening of Jakarta’s stance on Beijing’s expansive claims in the South China Sea. A joint statement released after a meeting between Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Saturday said the two countries had reached an

CHINA’S INFLUENCE AT THE UNITED NATIONS: WORDS AND DEEDS

China is perceived as increasingly influential given the rise its rising weight in the UN’s budget. It is increasing mechanically with Chinese growth as mandatory contributions are calculated based on a complex formula that takes into account population and GDP. From previously providing only a 2 percent mandatory share of the UN’s total budget during the early 2000s, China now contributes more 4

The 2024 China report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change

This is the fifth annual China report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change, the flagship report for tracking progress, or lack thereof, on climate change and health in China. Over the years, what began as the marginal effort of a few dedicated individuals has grown into a considerable movement at the forefront of global climate and health discourse. The report is led by the Lancet

Biden to meet for a final time with Xi this week as a new Trump era of China relations begins

President Joe Biden will meet for a final time this week with Chinese President Xi Jinping as he prepares to hand over power — and the reins of the world’s most consequential bilateral relationship — to President-elect Donald Trump in January. The meeting, set for Saturday on the sidelines of a summit of Pacific leaders in Peru, serves as a bookend to the president’s high stakes attempts to

Chinese state TV drama about Xi's father fails to impress

China’s state broadcaster has launched a historical TV show with an all-star cast dramatizing the role of President Xi Jinping’s father Xi Zhongxun in the communist revolution, although social media reaction and commentators suggest that young people in China would rather watch “Stranger Things.”“When the wind blew from the northwest, the revolutionaries ... watered their faith with their own