Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 191

China sends glacial water from Tibet to the Maldives, raising concerns

China gifted 3,000 metric tons of Tibet’s glacial water to the island nation of the Maldives in two separate batches in March and May — the same months it unveiled and implemented water conservation regulations at home. The Water Conservation Regulations set limits on water usage within administrative regions and prioritizes water conversation work in Tibet and other parts of China. They were

China’s ‘wolf warrior’ diplomat to take up post in Cambodia

Former Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin has been appointed ambassador to Cambodia, a Chinese official source said. Wang had a meeting with Luo Zhaohui, director of China International Development Cooperation Agency, on Tuesday in his new capacity as ambassador-designate to Phnom Penh, said the agency on WeChat. The appointment of the high-profile Wang is seen by many as an

Torbjørn Færøvik: Forfatteren Arundhati Roy frykter at India skal bli fascistisk

En av Indias store forfattere, Arundhati Roy, er travlere enn noensinne. Nesten daglig svinger hun svøpen over statsminister Narendra Modi og alt hans vesen. Valget i verdens mest folkerike land begynte i april og har pågått i seks uker. Det tar tid å lose 970 millioner stemmeberettigede til urnene. Resultatet får vi om to dager. «Som jeg gruer meg», sier hun i et ferskt intervju. «Vil vi

FULL TEXT: President Marcos’ speech at 21st IISS Shangri-La Dialogue

On Friday, May 31, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. became the first Filipino leader to deliver the keynote address at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)’s Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore, an annual event attended by security experts and defense officials from various countries, including the US and China. His speech focused on the importance of upholding international law,

Death of a Filipino in South China Sea clashes would be ‘very close’ to act of war, Philippines leader warns

The death of any Filipino citizen at the hands of another country in the South China Sea would be “very close” to an act of war, Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. warned Friday as his nation faces increasingly fraught clashes with Chinese vessels in the South China Sea.Marcos delivered the keynote speech of the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore, a regional gathering of global

US defense chief hails security partnerships in Asia in face of Russia, China threats

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday hailed the arrival of a “new convergence” in the Indo-Pacific, as the United States fortifies strategic and security partnerships in the region amid rising threats from China and Russia. “Today, we are witnessing a new convergence around nearly all aspects of security in the Indo-Pacific,” Austin said at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in

The Future According to Xi and Putin: A ChinaFile Conversation

On May 16 and 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a state visit to China, where he met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.On the opening day of the 2022 Winter Olympics, just 20 days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the two leaders had met in Beijing and declared a “no limits” partnership. On March 22, 2023, at the end of a state visit to Russia, as Xi left the Kremlin he told Putin, “

Japanese academic: China has pushed the Philippines to the US’s side

Increased cooperation between the US and its ally, the Philippines, will strengthen the US military presence in East Asia. Under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the US, the Marcos government added four bases to the list of five bases in the Philippines available to the US military, including two in the northern Philippines near Taiwan.In addition, the Philippine and

Amid US flirtation, Cambodia stresses ‘steel’ ties to China

Just days before a visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen said Tuesday his son’s new government will maintain Phnom Penh’s “steel” ties to Beijing. After attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore this week, where he will hold talks with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun, Austin will on Saturday travel to Phnom Penh, where he is set to meet with Prime

Don’t talk to media, Tiananmen massacre families warned ahead of June 4 anniversary

Chinese authorities have ordered relatives of those who died in the 1989 Tiananmen massacre not to give media interviews, while veteran activists who took part in the pro-democracy movement that year are slapped with restrictions as part of a nationwide "stability maintenance" operation ahead of the 35th anniversary of the bloodshed, Radio Free Asia has learned.A security guard has been posted