Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 194

Taiwan: Full text of President Lai Ching-te's inaugural address, May 20, 2024

President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) was sworn into office on Monday. The following is the full text of his inaugural address as released by the Presidential Office.Building a democratic, peaceful, and prosperous new TaiwanVice President Bi-khim Hsiao (蕭美琴), esteemed heads of state and guests from our allies, distinguished ambassadors and representatives, all visiting dignitaries, dear friends watching

Professor Arne Jon Isachsen: Kommunisme i dagens Kina

I et kommunistisk samfunn vil alle arbeide etter evne og motta etter behov. Om dette hadde vært praktisert i dagens Kina, ville kinesere flest hatt det bedre. Og verden ellers vært et mer fredfylt sted. De økonomiske forskjellene i Kina er enorme. At noen er veldig rike, får så være. Men at flere hundre millioner av kinesere lever uverdige liv i fattigdom er noe annet. Uten anledning til å flytte

Developing Taiwan’s own ‘Starlink’ crucial for island-wide emergency, space agency says

 Taiwan’s leaders are working on an ambitious new satellite system to keep the island online in case of disaster, as it deals with the constant threat of hostilities with China. Wu Jong-shinn, director-general of the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA), told CNN in an exclusive interview that Taiwan is at an “experimental development stage” in efforts to build new indigenous communication

Tsai Ing-wen: the leader who put Taiwan on the map and stood up to China

Tsai Ing-wen never set out to be a leader. Growing up shy, she aspired to become an archeologist, because “people that are dead already wouldn’t jump up and argue with you.” But instead of picking over the remains of history, the self-described introvert ended up charting a new course for Taiwan in some of the world’s choppiest geopolitical waters.“At this very moment, Taiwan faces a difficult

I am a love child, not a Chinese spy, says mayor

A mayor of a small farming town in the Philippines has said she is a "love child" and not a spy for China. Mayor Alice Guo who is being investigated for criminal operations, was unable to answer questions about her family history and upbringing during a senate hearing. This led one senator to ask whether she was an "asset" for Beijing."I want to tell the public: I am not a spy. I am a Filipino

China is trying to end its ‘epic’ property crisis. The hard work is just beginning

Beijing has launched its most ambitious plan yet to rescue its property market, a development that investors have eagerly anticipated for months. But it’s far from certain that the measures will work.The package is centered around Beijing’s adoption of a policy that has already been tested in a major city — asking local governments to buy unsold homes from developers and convert them into social

IN RETROSPECT: Full text of the Chinese Communist Party's new resolution on history (2021)

The following is the text of the Chinese Communist Party's latest resolution on history released by the official Xinhua News Agency. Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party over the Past Century. Adopted at the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on November

Why China remains unlikely to invade Taiwan

The United States, and Washington DC in particular, is awash with expectations of waragainst China in the near future, most likely caused by a Chinese decision to forcibly annex Taiwan. Plenty of Americans — including senior military officers, academics, and politicians — think Chinese leader Xi Jinping sees war as the best option. Those making this argument typically say Xi is tired of waiting

Taiwan’s new president calls on China to stop its ‘intimidation’ after being sworn into historic third term for ruling party

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te called on Beijing to cease its intimidation of the democratic island after he was was sworn in as president Monday, marking the start of a historic third consecutive term for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which has championed democracy in the face of years of growing threats from authoritarian China. Lai, 64, a former doctor and vice president, was

From China’s Past: Speech of Madame Chiang Kai-shek to U.S. Congress (1943)

On February 18, 1943, China's first lady, Madame Chiang Kai-shek, delivers a speech before the House and the Senate appealing to the U.S. Congress to provide aid for the Nationalists in their struggle against Japan and the Chinese Communists.Listen