Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 209

Four US college instructors teaching in China have been stabbed while visiting a busy public park

Four US college instructors teaching in China have been stabbed while visiting a busy public park, in a rare case of violent crime against foreigners in the powerful security state. The educators from Cornell College, a private liberal arts college in Mount Vernon, Iowa, were wounded “in a serious incident” on Monday, while participating in a partnership program with Beihua University in the city

Why the EU might be about to make Chinese electric cars more expensive

With China accused of selling electric cars at artificially low prices, the European Union is widely expected to hit them with tariffs this week. The BYD Seagull is a tiny, cheap, neatly styled electric vehicle (EV). An urban runabout that won’t break any speed records, but nor will it break the bank.In China, it has a starting price of 69,800 yuan ($9,600; £7,500). If it comes to Europe, it is

35 Years Later: A Retrospective of Our Work on the 1989 Tiananmen Protests and Crackdown

This year is the 35th anniversary of the 1989 mass demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, and elsewhere around China, and their brutal suppression on June 4. The memories of these events are receding into the past, a process greatly aided in China by censorship. And even when remembered, the crackdown that ended the optimistic 1980s in China is viewed by some Chinese government supporters

Torbjørn Færøvik: Kan et skipsvrak utløse en krig i Asia?

Kan et skipsvrak utløse en krig i Asia?Spørsmålet er på sin plass, for i Sørkinahavet ligger et filippinsk fartøy som regjeringen i Manila nekter å fjerne. Fartøyet bevoktes av filippinske soldater og er blitt en torn i øyet på et stadig mer nærgående Kina. «Dreper dere én eneste av våre menn, aktiviserer dere forsvarspakten mellom Filippinene og USA», advarte president Ferdinand Marcos jr. i

Dalai Lama to visit US for knee treatment in coming weeks

The Dalai Lama is scheduled to visit the United States for medical treatment for his knees in the coming weeks, according to his office, in what would be his first visit to the country since 2017. Though the dates for which have not yet been announced, his trip is expected to take place this summer. It will be the Dalai Lama’s first overseas trip since November 2018 and first overseas trip since

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