Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 185

A growing club led by Xi and Putin to counter the US is adding a staunchly pro-Russia member

A club of Eurasian countries spearheaded by China and Russia to advance their leaders’ vision of an alternative world order is set to expand again this week – this time adding a staunch Russian ally that has openly supported Moscow’s war on Ukraine. The expected admission of Belarus to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) at its annual leaders’ summit in Astana, Kazakhstan is another push

A Norwegian citizen has been arrested on suspicion of spying for China, a report says

A Norwegian citizen has been arrested on suspicion of attempting to spy for China, Norway's domestic security agency said Tuesday, declining to give details about the case. “We are in an initial phase. Therefore we are rather tight-lipped now. We are not going to give many details in the case,” said Thomas Blom, a prosecutor with the security agency, known by its Norwegian initials PST. He spoke

China's Communist Party expels ex-defense chief, predecessor in graft probe

China on Thursday expelled its former Defense Minister Li Shangfu and his predecessor from the ruling Communist Party over corruption allegations, state broadcaster CCTV reported, deepening a sweeping purge within the top ranks of the military. Li was removed in October last year without explanation after he vanished from public view for two months, amid a series of high-level shakeups that have

China restricts religious debate event for Tibetan monks

Chinese government authorities in a a Tibetan-populated county in Sichuan province have shortened the duration of a key weeklong debate on Buddhist philosophy and reduced the number of monks who could attend the event, Tibetans with knowledge of the situation said. The annual Dhokham Jang Gunchoe, or Great Winter Debate Session, is a longstanding tradition of Tibet’s three monastic universities —

China condemned for rejecting key recommendations of UN review of its rights record

China has rejected all key recommendations urging it to end violations of human rights of its citizens while accepting only those from friendly governments which either do not criticize it or which, in fact, praises its repressive policies in the name of combating separatism and maintaining the socialist government system following the UN’s Universal Periodical Review (UPR) of its record held in

REPORT: Sinicization drive pervades China’s religious repression in Tibet

In the name of regulations for implementing Sinicization, China officially controls all aspects of religious life in occupied Tibet and is guilty of serious violations of human rights of believers there, according to the US State Department in its 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom which was released on Jun 26. In Particular, the report criticizes China’s ongoing campaign to Sinicize

Tang Shenqi: Dying Far From Home in Modern China

Funerals and burials are important clan activities in China, part of a large and complex system of clan rituals. Traditional customs dictate that only after a diseased person has been buried can they become an official ancestor and receive sacrifices from their clansmen. Funerals and burials are therefore important rites of passage in Chinese clans that serve to establish bonds between clansmen

How China Conquered the Dark Side of the Moon

China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe has made history by returning to Earth with the first samples collected from the far side of the Moon — a groundbreaking feat that marks a new step forward for the country’s space program.The spacecraft’s returner module touched downat the Siziwang Banner Landing Site in northern China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 2:07 p.m. on Tuesday, delivering its

China changed village names 'to erase Uyghur culture'

China has changed the names of hundreds of villages in Xinjiang region in a move aimed at erasing Uyghur Muslim culture, Human Rights Watch (HRW) says. According to a report by the group, hundreds of villages in Xinjiang with names related to the religion, history or culture of Uyghurs were replaced between 2009 and 2023. Words such as "sultan" and "shrine" are disappearing from place names - to

China threatens death penalty for Taiwan independence ‘diehards’

China has threatened to impose the death penalty in extreme cases for “diehard” Taiwan independence separatists, a ratcheting up of pressure even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction on the democratically governed island. China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, has made no secret of its dislike of President Lai Ching-te, who took office last month, saying he is a “separatist”, and