Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 165

Pope Francis’ Mass in one of world’s most Catholic nations gathers almost half its population

Pope Francis received a rapturous welcome from the tiny Southeast Asian nation of East Timor, one of the world’s most Catholic countries, where almost half the population turned out for an open-air Mass on Tuesday. The 87-year-old leader’s visit marks the penultimate stop of a marathon trip through Asia and the South Pacific. Local authorities estimate that a crowd of 600,000 gathered for the

Xi Jinping had one message for dozens of visiting African leaders: choose China

Xi Jinping had a clear aim as he hosted delegates from more than 50 African countries for a major summit in Beijing this week: proving beyond doubt that China is the continent’s premier foreign partner. The Chinese leader made his case with ceremony on Thursday when, flanked by dozens of African leaders and the UN secretary general in the Great Hall of the People, he vowed to elevate ties between

China-Africa Summit Shines a Spotlight on Eswatini, Taiwan’s Lone Partner in Africa

Last week, Beijing hosted the triennial Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit, which set a new record for attendance: 51 African heads of state and government, according to China’s Foreign Ministry. Another two countries sent “presidential representatives,” bringing the total number of African countries represented to 53. The lone absence? Eswatini, an absolute monarchy home to 1.2

China slams Germany’s reported plan to sail through Taiwan Strait

Beijing on Monday responded to the news of a planned passage through the Taiwan Strait by two German warships, warning against “provoking and endangering China’s sovereignty and security under the guise of freedom of navigation.” Germany’s navy is planning to send two ships through the Taiwan Strait in mid-September, German media reported.It will be the first passage by German warships through

Hong Kong turns away German activist as US warns of growing risks

Authorities in Hong Kong have interrogated and denied entry to a German rights activist amid warnings from the United States of growing personal and business risks for those traveling to the city. Immigration officers turned away rights activist David Missal, deputy managing director & press officer for the Berlin-based Tibet Initiative Germany, after he arrived at Hong Kong International

US ELECTIONS 2024: Trump, Harris trade barbs over China in presidential debate

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said on Tuesday the United Statesmust beat China “in the competition for the 21st century,” while her presidential election rival, Donald Trump, said China had feared him and would pay billions in tariffs if he returned to the White House.Democratic presidential nominee Harris and Republican nominee Trump clashed for 90 minutes in a debate in Philadelphia that

In Retrospect: Wei Jinsheng’s Struggle for Democracy

Wei Jingsheng's dissident life began with a precipitous suddenness. In just under four months, during the 1978-79 Democracy Wall movement, his unique talent as a thinker, writer and activist burst forth and blossomed. In fact, Wei did not actually go to Democracy Wall until several weeks after poster-writers in Beijing had started to center their efforts there. His first visit filled him with

Taiwan challenges China to claim land lost to Russia if it’s all about territorial integrity

The People’s Republic of China, founded in 1949, has never exercised authority over the self-governed island of Taiwan. Nevertheless, it claims the legacy of the rulers of China, including foreigners, dating back over millennia and insists that Taiwan is part of it. Well, in that case it should also take back land from Russia signed over by the last dynasty that ruled China in the 19th century,

An alleged Chinese agent went undetected in New York state government for years. Why it may have taken so long for authorities to act

Linda Sun visited Beijing in the winter of 2018, according to federal prosecutors, a Chinese businessman based in the US made travel arrangements for her and reserved a presidential suite once used by First Lady Michelle Obama. A year later, on a second trip to Beijing, Sun exchanged correspondence with the same businessman and discussed her possible attendance to a military parade, ultimately

Fra flørt med Qatar til flørt med Kina

Kinas manglende respekt for andre gjør det svært vanskelig å forstå Støres ideer om at de er våre venner som vi kan snakke om det vi er uenige om og der vi har et respektfullt forhold overfor hverandre. Det høres bare naivt ut. Torbjørn Færøvik minner oss om at databasen til EU-kommisjonen i Brussel i 2017 ble frastjålet 2.000 dokumenter, og i Tyskland, Frankrike og Storbritannia er de på vakt