Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 212

INTERVIEW WITH FRANK DIKÖTTER: How the West has been misreading China for years

Frank Dikötter, author of the "People's Trilogy" about China under of Mao Zedong, has been chair professor of humanities at the University of Hong Kong since 2006. He recently published "China After Mao," in which he argues that claims that the Chinese Communist Party has significantly changed direction in the post-Mao era are a misreading by those outside the country who "live in a fantasy world

‘Little by little, the truth is being discovered’: the archive rescuing China’s forbidden films

On the wall of an unassuming second-floor room in Newcastle University sits a map, Blu-Tacked, unframed. At first glance it looks like any other map of China. But on closer inspection, the cities labelled on the map are not just the major urban centres. They are the places that have hosted important film festivals over the years, the details of which are annotated in colour-coded text.Covering

China’s Demographic Prospects to 2040: Opportunities, Constraints, Potential Policy Responses

Demographic constraints could complicate Beijing’s quest to mobilize political power and/or apply it abroad. At this writing the Chinese regime seems to be behaving in an increasingly ambitious and assertive fashion: the era of “hide your strength, bide your time” appears to be over. Demographic stresses could reduce social cohesion, or even contribute to social or political instability. Note

South Korea’s fertility rate sinks to record low despite $270bn in incentives

South Korea’s demographic crisis has deepened with the release of data showing its birthrate – already the world’s lowest – fell to a new record low in 2023, despite billions of dollars in government schemes designed to persuade families to have more children. Reports that South Korea’s population had shrunk for the fourth straight year came soon after neighbouring Japan reported a record decline

‘Facing up to history’: relatives of Taiwan’s 2-28 massacre victims demand official reckoning

Lin Li-cai was only two years old when her father was murdered. She knew almost nothing about his death until she was an adult. “There used to be a picture of my father hanging in the living room, but I didn’t even know who it was,” says Lin, now 80.She has no memory of the events and throughout her childhood his death was mentioned just twice. The first was when her uncle warned her: “Don’t talk

CHINA-TAIWAN WEEKLY UPDATE, FEBRUARY 23, 2024

The Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) pledged to begin conducting regular maritime inspections around Taiwan-controlled Kinmen Island. Normalizing PRC maritime enforcement around the island will erode Taiwan’s control over its territorial waters and risk confrontations between the PRC and Taiwan’s maritime law enforcement. Kinmen is a Taiwan-controlled island with a large military garrison roughly 3

The dangerous parallels between Putin’s ambitions in Ukraine and Xi’s claims on Taiwan

When former Taiwan Presidential spokesperson Kolas Yotaka watched Tucker Carlson’s recent interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, one thought came to her mind.“Putin and Xi Jinping are similar,” she told me. “Because both of them believe they represent the old imperial power in their countries. And they are the chosen leaders who can defend their countries from foreign powers. They think

China's "Rule of Law": It is strictly forbidden to insult or defame heroes and martyrs

The “Heroes and Martyrs Protection Act” was passed by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s largely rubber-stamp parliament, in April 2018 and went into effect soon after. It threatens unspecified “administrative penalties” or even “criminal sanctions” against those who damage memorials or “insult or slander heroes and martyrs.”The law is part of a much broader and

PRC State-Sponsored Actors Compromise and Maintain Persistent Access to U.S. Critical Infrastructure

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), National Security Agency (NSA), and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) assess that People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-sponsored cyber actors are seeking to pre-position themselves on IT networks for disruptive or destructive cyberattacks against U.S. critical infrastructure in the event of a major crisis or conflict with the

China’s Cybersecurity and Statecraft

Chinese leaders consider cyber power a key instrument of national power. President Xi Jinping, for example, has said publicly that his goal is to make China a “cyber superpower” through indigenous innovation. Accordingly, the Chinese Communist Party has in recent years been progressively organizing military, intelligence, and civilian resources to bolster China’s cyber capability. The result of