Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 213

Huge cybersecurity leak lifts lid on world of China’s hackers for hire

A big leak of data from a Chinese cybersecurity firm has revealed state security agents paying tens of thousands of pounds to harvest data on targets, including foreign governments, while hackers hoover up huge amounts of information on any person or institution who might be of interest to their prospective clients. The cache of more than 500 leaked files from the Chinese firm I-Soon was posted

Game On: Framing India-China Relationship Trajectory in 2024?

How are India-China relations poised for 2024? For India and China, passive-aggressive tensions, primarily due to India’s projected global rise and current security-focused bonhomie with the U.S., have certainly shaped the year gone by, as evidenced by Chinese President Xi Jinping ignoring the G20 summit held in India or India intensifying its crackdown on Chinese smartphone makers.The scenario

Rand: China and India, 2025 A Comparative Assessment

China and India, the world's two most populous countries, will exercise increasing influence in international affairs in the coming decades, and each country's role on the world stage will be affected by the progress that it makes and by the competition and cooperation that develop between them. This monograph focuses on the progress China and India seem likely to achieve from 2010 through 2025

From China's Past: P.C. Chang and His Contribution to the UN Human Rights Declaration

Many people can’t contemplate that after World War II–especially through the mediation of the Human Rights Commission and the drafting of the Universal Declaration– the idea of human rights had already been transformed by many non-Western cultures and histories. P.C. Chang was one of the most important figures in that mediation, but there were other non-Western nations that were represented.

China Media Project: Human Rights Heist at the United Nations

 As an examination of China’s human rights record kicked off under the United Nations’ Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism in Geneva last month, a number of sideline events hosted by ostensibly independent organizations offered a brighter alternative to the dismal facts on China reported by international human rights groups, which cited among their criticisms crimes against humanity in

Newsletter: An Update on China's Armed Forces, January 2024

PLA UPDATE is a monthly newsletter produced by CNA’s China and Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Division (USA). In each issue, CIP analysts provide summaries of noteworthy Chinese media coverage focused on the internal and external affairs of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).The PRC Defense Ministry has a new chief following a more than two month gap. On December 29, 2023, the Standing Committee

For China’s Military, 2024 Is the Year of Discipline

Corruption and high-level upheaval defined 2023 for the PLA, and will continue to shape the coming year. This merits a closer look at the PLA’s disciplinary practices. On January 6, an article in Bloomberg made sensational claims about China’s nuclear force. Per U.S. intelligence, the article said that China’s recent removals of several high-ranking military figures, including People’s Liberation

From China's Past: Madame Chiang Kai-shek's Speech to Congress, February 18, 1943

In a carefully choreographed eight-month charm offensive, Soong Mei-ling, better known by her married name, Madame Chiang Kai-shek, or simply “Madame”, traveled across North America, captivating audiences with her appearance, cosmopolitan outlook, and letter-perfect English. On February 18, 1943, she spoke to the U.S. Congress on Capitol Hill. The Second World War was raging in Europe and Asia,

Why the Year of the Dragon doesn't bode well for China’s declining population

The Chinese Year of the Dragon is widely perceived in Asia-Pacific to be an auspicious year to have a baby — but it hasn't meant well for the country's declining population.  "Dragon babies" are expected to be successful in their careers and bring blessings to the family, according to Jacelyn Phang, feng shui master at Yuan Zhong Siu. In this zodiac cycle, those born between Feb.10, 2024 and

Freedom House: The State of Affairs in Tibet

In recent years, the Chinese government has accelerated policies that decrease the proportion of Tibetans in the TAR and undermine their cultural and religious identity—part of a renewed, nationwide campaign to “Sinicize” religious and ethnic minority populations.The government’s Farmer and Pastoralist Training and Labor Transfer Action Plan forced tens of thousands of additional Tibetan farmers