Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 184

From China's Past: Nightmare Across the Land - the Cultural Revolution

It had been clear for weeks that China was heading for some sort of momentous crescendo, but no one knew exactly what to expect. Last week, as the impact of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution abruptly spilled out across the land, the nightmare of it all became chillingly clear. Mao Tse-tung aimed to blot out not only all traces of foreign influence, but to tear out China’s own cultural and

Støre flyr til Beijing: – Norge og Kina er venner, men uenige

Norge skal være venner med Kina, men samtidig være årvåkne for etterretningstrusler, mener statsministeren. Nå drar han til Kina for å pleie forholdet.– Vi må ikke bli hysteriske, sier statsminister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap) til NTB i forkant av sitt Kina-besøk.Read more

World order 'under threat not seen since Cold War'

The international world order is "under threat in a way we haven’t seen since the Cold War", the heads of the UK and US foreign intelligence services have warned.The chiefs of MI6 and the CIA also said both countries stand together in "resisting an assertive Russia and Putin's war of aggression in Ukraine".Both foreign intelligence services see the rise of China as the main intelligence and

Why is the Pope doing a long tour when he's so frail?

Pope Francis, who has often appeared to revel in confounding and surprising others, is at it again.Many times over the years, he has seemed to suggest he is slowing down, only to ramp up his activities again. At nearly 88 years old, he has a knee ailment that impairs mobility, abdominal problems caused by diverticulitis and is vulnerable to respiratory issues owing to the removal of most of one

China shifts gear in Africa as it looks to a green future

Pulling power. That is what China still has across Africa. While the influence of others on the continent is questioned - for instance, France and the rest of the EU are being shunned by the Sahelian military juntas, and Russia’s mercenary-security “offer” is regarded with deep mistrust by pro-Western African governments - China has navigated a middle way.Delegations from more than 50 states from

Japan poised for another record-busting defense budget

Japan’s military spending is edging closer to its targeted 2% of gross domestic product (GDP), with big new budget earmarks for drones, missile defense, satellites, cyber defense and cloud-based command and control systems. The proposed budget, now awaiting final approval, shows Tokyo is banking more on military technology boots on the ground to meet rising security threats and challenges from

Japan, Norway signs defense industry deal

Japan and Norway have signed an agreement to co-operate on defence equipment and technology. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed on 3 September during meetings between Japan's Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and his visiting counterpart Bjørn Arild Gram.The two sides also said they would strengthen wider defence collaboration, including work between the countries' defence industries,

China’s men soccer team faces fan backlash after humiliating loss to arch-rivals Japan

China’s men’s soccer team fell to a 7-0 loss to arch-rivals Japan on Thursday night, a startling new low for a soccer-obsessed nation where the game has been plagued by corruption scandals and ever-worsening performances. Players in top European leagues led the way for Japan, with Liverpool’s Wataru Endo and Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma both scoring in the demolition at the Saitama Stadium, north of

Annual White Paper: «Defense of Japan 2024»

Japan’s 2024 defense white paper, released on July 12, pursues a policy of strengthening its own military power by warning against China’s and North Korea’s buildup. The white paper reiterated strong concerns about China’s military trends. It claims that the Chinese mainland has intensified military activities around the Taiwan region aimed at establishing a fait accompli while simultaneously

Pew Research Center: Views of China and Xi Jinping

Across the 35 countries we surveyed, more have unfavorable views of China than favorable ones. The same is true when it comes to Chinese President Xi Jinping: People mostly lack confidence in him to do the right thing regarding world affairs. But opinions vary widely across regions and across levels of economic development. For example, in the high-income European countries included in the survey