Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 153

Trump picks former Sen. David Perdue of Georgia to be ambassador to China

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday he is choosing former Sen. David Perdue of Georgia to be ambassador to China.Trump said in a social media post that Perdue, a former CEO, "brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China." Perdue pushed Trump's debunked lies about electoral fraud during his failed bid for Georgia governor. Perdue lost his Senate seat to Democrat

Paraguay kicks out visiting Chinese envoy for urging lawmakers to turn their backs on Taiwan

Paraguay on Thursday kicked out a Chinese envoy for allegedly interfering in its domestic affairs and urging the South American nation to break off ties and long friendship with Taiwan. The Chinese diplomat was given 24 hours to leave the country. In a curt statement, Paraguay’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had revoked the visa of Xu Wei, a senior Chinese envoy to Latin America who was in

South Korea’s ruling party leader appears to throw weight behind presidential impeachment efforts in dramatic reversal

The leader of South Korea’s ruling party said Friday that President Yoon Suk Yeoul needs to be immediately suspended from duty to protect the country from “grave danger,” in a dramatic reversal of opinion that appears to signal his support for opposition efforts to impeach the embattled leader. The apparent U-turn by Han Dong-hoon, chief of Yoon’s own People Power Party, comes after he received “

Taiwan president’s visit to Guam stokes fears of being targeted by China

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s visit to Guam to strengthen ties has raised residents' fears of the U.S. territory being further targeted in escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing. Lai is on his first overseas tour since being elected in May, choosing to visit three Pacific nations - Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau - that still maintain diplomatic relations with Taipei. He has

Hong Kong officials learn neighborhood surveillance from China

Hong Kong is sending district councilors and other local officials to mainland China to learn how the ruling Chinese Communist Party uses local networks of volunteers to monitor the population and target potential unrest before it happens. China’s “red armband” brigade of state-sanctioned busybodies have been dubbed the biggest intelligence network on the planet by social media users, and have

South Korea: President Yoon’s Speech Declaring Martial Law

President Yoon Suk Yeol made the extraordinary declaration in an unannounced speech to the nation on Tuesday night.«Honorable citizens, as President, I appeal to you with a feeling of spitting blood.Since the inauguration of our government, the National Assembly has initiated 22 impeachment motions against government officials, and since the inauguration of the 22nd National Assembly in June, it

What Just Happened in South Korea?

The South Korean president’s imposition of martial law and the National Assembly’s rapid vote to demand an end to the decree have left the country with a slew of puzzling questions about the president’s political calculus and the country’s future.Late Tuesday evening, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol stunned his country and the world with an attempt to impose martial law. In his announcement,

China deletes warning that youth unemployment is tanking economy

Internet censors have taken down a speech by a top Chinese economist that went viral after he warned that a widespread lack of opportunities for young people was dragging down growth, which he said had been overstated by several percentage points in recent years. Instead of embarking on promising careers and pouring their disposable income into the economy, young people in today’s China are

Torbjørn Færøvik: Snart kommer en stor flyttebil til Det blå hus i Seoul

Gamle minner blir som nye når jeg leser om det siste døgnets politiske drama i Sør-Korea. For 45 år siden ble jeg vitne til at militære ledere grep makten i landet og innførte unntakstilstand. Jeg gikk til sengs i et spirende demokrati og våknet i et diktatur. På plassen utenfor hotellet i Seoul sto tanks og soldater i full mundur. I lobbyen forsikret en hesblesende utsendt fra

North Korea, Russia and China watch on as crisis unfolds in key US ally South Korea

A night of political upheaval in South Korea has upended stability in a key democratic US ally – sending shock waves through the region and Washington at a moment of acute global tension. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Tuesday night in a surprise decree that was reversed hours later following overwhelming opposition across the political spectrum for what was widely