Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 146

A dam ignited rare Tibetan protests. They ended in beatings and arrests, BBC finds

Hundreds of Tibetans protesting against a Chinese dam were rounded up in a harsh crackdown earlier this year, with some beaten and seriously injured, the BBC has learnt from sources and verified footage.Such protests are extremely rare in Tibet, which China has tightly controlled since it annexed the region in the 1950s. That they still happened highlights China's controversial push to build dams

China is positioning itself as an alternative source of AI technology for the global south

During a visit to the United Nations in September, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi launched a new international plan for AI development that focused on what has come to be called the “global south.” It was China’s resolve, Wang Yi announced, to work with other countries on data sharing and security, the production and supply of AI tech, building joint AI laboratories, educational exchanges, and

UK Parliament: UK- China relations. Recent developments

Over the last several years, relations between the UK and China have deteriorated sharply. This paper looks at some of the most significant aspects of the UK-China relationship, but does not attempt to cover all of its components.Several factors have contributed to the worsening of relations. Firstly, the hardening of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) rule over China, including efforts to

China trains African journalists as part of drive to boost influence

China is stepping up efforts to train African journalists in what analysts say is a bid to crank up its overseas propaganda operations and boost its ideological influence on the continent. The Chinese Embassy in Nairobi recently invited around 70 reporters and editors from the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, or KBC, to a media course, participants told Voice of America’s Chinese Service.“

Tibetans demand apology from the British Museum for use of ‘Xizang’

The British Museum’s use of the term “Xizang” to label Tibetan artifacts in its Silk Roads exhibition has prompted criticism from Tibetans and rights groups who have demanded that the museum remove the Beijing-promoted term and issue a formal apology. Using “Xizang” — a term China formally adopted in 2023 in all its official documents to refer to Tibet — plays into Beijing’s attempts to undermine

Chinese workers found in ‘slavery-like conditions’ at BYD construction site in Brazil

Brazilian officials found 163 Chinese nationals working in “slavery-like conditions” at a construction site for a factory owned by Chinese electric vehicle producer BYD in Brazil’s Bahia state, the local labor prosecutor’s office said Monday. According to the authorities, the workers were hired in China by another firm and brought to Brazil irregularly.They were laboring for long hours, in excess

What’s the history of the Panama Canal, and why is Trump threatening to retake control of it?

President-elect Donald Trump over the weekend suggested the US should retake the Panama Canal, an idea that was immediately rejected by the government of Panama, which has controlled the passage for decades. In social media posts and remarks to supporters, Trump accused Panama of charging the US “exorbitant rates” to use the canal and hinted at growing Chinese influence over the crucial waterway.

China imposes ‘countermeasures’ after Canada’s sanctions over human rights

China has announced “countermeasures” against Canadian groups and individuals two weeks after Canada imposed sanctions on senior Chinese officials in early December over human rights concerns. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release on Saturday that it was freezing the assets in China of Canada’s Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project and the Canada Tibet Committee.The ministry,

Tibetan champion of language preservation dies after release

A Tibetan village chief who was detained in May for championing Tibetan language preservation, died three days after his release on Dec. 15, with electrical burn and torture marks found on his body during the cremation service, suggesting he was abused in police custody, two sources said.Gonpo Namgyal, leader of Ponkor Village in Qinghai province’s Dharlag county, or Dari in Chinese, was arrested

US missile deployment in the Philippines is legitimate: Manila

The Philippines’ acquisition and deployment of a U.S. mid-range missile system is “completely legitimate, legal, and beyond reproach,” its defense chief said on Tuesday. China protested against the plan by the Philippines to acquire a Typhon mid-range missile system from the United States to boost its maritime capabilities amid rising tensions in the disputed South China Sea.Chinese foreign