Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 182

One Step At a Time. The Great China Skywalk by Jay Cochrane

On October 27, 1995, the day before The Great China Skywalk, Jay Cochrane stood on a sliver of wire, a quarter of a mile high over the rushing water of the Yangtze River. I had never seen him perform, and didn’t know what to expect. As we watched, Jay moved his feet back and forth, getting the feel of its many strands. As he moved farther out the wire, the assembled crowd seemed to stop breathing

Where Donald Trump and Kamala Harris Stand on China

China clearly looms large over the U.S. presidential election in November. Both the Democratic ticket led by Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican one led by former President Donald Trump have emphasized the great power rivalry throughout their campaigns, albeit Harris to a lesser extent. Overall, their approaches have some differences—and many similarities.Trump—and his running mate Ohio

China Set to Raise Retirement Age for the First Time in Decades

China will raise the retirement age for the first time since 1978, a move that could stem a decline in the labor force but risk angering workers already wrestling with a slowing economy. Top lawmakers endorsed a plan to delay retirement for employees by as long as five years, Xinhua News Agency reported Friday. Men will retire at 63 instead of 60. Women will retire at 55 instead of 50 for

US and Chinese commanders hold rare talks to dial down risk of ‘miscalculation

American and Chinese military commanders spoke in a long-anticipated call Tuesday as the two powers seek to manage their intensifying rivalry in a contentious Asia-Pacific region – and repair lines of military communicationsevered more than two years ago. US Indo-Pacific Command Adm. Samuel Paparo and Gen. Wu Yanan, commander of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Southern Theater Command spoke

China aims for historic Mars mission ‘around 2028’ as it vies for space power

China’s historic attempt to bring samples from Mars to Earth could launch as soon as 2028, two years earlier than previously stated, according to a senior mission official. The country’s Tianwen-3 mission would carry out two launches “around 2028” to retrieve the Martian samples, chief mission designer Liu Jizhong said at a deep-space exploration event in eastern China’s Anhui province last

China-Africa Summit 2024: The Octopus’ Embrace

The ninth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit, held September 4 to 6 in Beijing, underscored the evolving complexity of the Africa-China relationship. While the summit showcased deepening ties and ambitious plans for mutual economic growth, a more intricate dynamic lies beneath, reminiscent of an octopus’ embrace – tightening, entangling, and often constricting. African nations,

Beijing slams US House for hawkish ‘China week’

Chinese officials and state media have criticized the United States House of Representatives for pushing at least 25 hawkish China-related bills in a “China week” ahead of the US presidential election in November. Among the bills, the BioSecure Act was passed by the US House of Representatives by 306 to 81 votes on Monday to make American drug companies stop doing business with five Chinese

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