Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 200

Delhi’s Dilemma: A Growing Economy and Growing Unemployment

India’s glass is half-full – and half-empty. The good news is India is the fastest-growing major economy in the world, on course to overtake Germany and Japan in the next five years in aggregate GDP. It will become the third-largest global economy after the United States and China. However, there is a concern that the benefits of fast GDP growth are being undermined by low job growth and an

Herders on front line of India’s Himalayan dispute with China say they’re losing grazing land – and a way of life

High in the Himalayas, the people of a remote northern Indian territory fear their way of life is under threat from the changing climate, looming development – and border tensions with China. At stake, they believe, is the future of Ladakh, one of the world’s highest elevation regions, where indigenous tribes maintain nomadic traditions on sprawling plains hemmed in by mountains punctuated by

From China’s Past: The Panchen Lama’s Letter to Premier Zhou Enlai

The 70,000 Character Petition is a report, dated 18 May 1962, written by the Tenth Panchen Lama and addressed to the Chinese government, denouncing abusive policies and actions of the People's Republic of China in Tibet. It remains the "most detailed and informed attack on China's policies in Tibet that would ever be written."For decades, the content of this report remained hidden from all but

US and Ally Begin Major Military Exercise on 'China's Doorstep'

More than 16,000 troops will take part in the U.S.'s largest military exercise with the Philippines as tensions simmer between the U.S. ally and neighboring China. The 39th edition of Balikatan, or "shoulder to shoulder" in Tagalog, kicked off on Monday and will be held around Palawan and Batanes, two Philippine provinces near South China Sea hotspots and China-claimed Taiwan. Under the

Protesting Spanish professor 'warned university' over Confucius Institutes

A university professor who gatecrashed the opening ceremony of a new Confucius Institute at Spain's Seville University last week tried to warn the school authorities for years that the language and cultural centers have been linked to the Chinese Communist Party's influence operations, she told RFA Mandarin in a recent interview.Journalism professor Mar Llera jumped onto the dais along with a

No, Southeast Asians do not now prefer China over the US

The famed quip “There are three kinds of lies: Lies, damned Lies, and statistics” can be updated for the modern era with “confusion, damned confusion, and opinion Polls” in the wake of the 2024 State of Southeast Asia surveys of the region’s elites published this month by a think tank in Singapore.The annual report by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute has sparked some alarmist headlines. “

In Retrospect: Richard Nixon And Zhou Enlai, "Toasts At A Banquet Honoring The Premier," February 25, 1972

President Richard Nixon made history by breaking the ice and visiting China in February 1972. During his stay, he hosted a banquet in the Great Hall of the People. The toasts were made shortly after 9 pm and were broadcast live via satellite to the United States."Mr. Prime Minister and our very distinguished guests from the People's Republic of China and the United States of America:It is a great

A New Round of Restrictions Further Constrains Religious Practice in Xinjiang

Authorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region rang in 2024 by announcing an update to the region’s strictures on religious practice. Changes include new rules to ensure that sites of religious worship, like mosques, look adequately “Chinese,” and to mandate the cultivation of “patriotic” religious leaders.Officials have long levied restrictions on religious belief and practice in the

China: The rise of digital repression in the Indo-Pacific

China continues to export its digital authoritarianism playbook across the Indo-Pacific, reveals ARTICLE 19’s new report. In October 2023, at the third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China’s leader Xi Jinping signalled his intention to focus away from the more grandiose legacy projects of the Belt and Road Initiative in favour of ‘small yet smart’ projects. This acknowledgement of Party

In Retrospect: The Atomic Bomb, Statement Of The Government Of The People's Republic Of China, October 16, 1964

The Atomic Bomb, Statement of the Government of the People's Republic of China, October 16, 1964:China exploded an atomic bomb at 15:00 hours on October 16, 1964, thereby successfully carrying out its first nuclear test. This is a major achievement of the Chinese people in their struggle to strengthen their national defence and oppose the U.S. imperialist policy of nuclear blackmail and nuclear