Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 223

For China’s Urban Residents, the Party-State Is Closer than Ever

In a recent working paper, scholars Yutian An and Taisu Zhang argue that local urban governments in China emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic with far more muscle and clout than they have ever had before. Unlike in the past several decades, the sub-district (jiedao, the lowest formal level of government) and the neighborhood community (shequ, technically self-governing entities below even the

Updates to Our Database of Arrests Related to the Hong Kong National Security Law

We updated our suite of graphics tracking the impact of Hong Kong’s National Security Law. It now includes information on the 248 individuals arrested between July 2020, when the law went into effect, and March 31, 2023. Information on these individuals’ cases, compiled by our partners at the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, includes grounds for arrest, and, where applicable, resulting charges

After attacks on Chinese, Pakistan pledges more security

The Pakistani president on Friday assured Beijing’s top diplomat that his country will boost security for all Chinese nationals working on multi-billion dollar projects in cash-strapped Pakistan. China has been demanding more security from Pakistan for its nationals residing and working in the Islamic country since 2021, when a suicide bomber killed nine Chinese and four Pakistanis in an attack

Mexico claims proof of Chinese fentanyl smuggling

The Mexican president says his country has proof that illegal shipments of the powerful opioid drug fentanyl are arriving from China. A container with hidden packages of the drug was intercepted in the Pacific port of Lázaro Cárdenas, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said. "We already have proof," he said, adding that he would ask the Chinese government to help stop the shipments.US

Bhutan wants a border deal with China: Will India accept?

The Himalayan nation of Bhutan is nestled between two Asian giants, China and India. But that unique geographical position also comes with a price. Bhutan is one of the two countries with which China is yet to resolve its land border dispute. The other country is India, which has a long-running disagreement over its Himalayan frontier with China.China's global rise is putting pressure on Bhutan

Canada summons Chinese ambassador after MP and his family harassed

Canada has summoned China’s ambassador as Justin Trudeau’s government considers expelling a Chinese diplomat accused of involvement in a harassment campaign against a MP lawmaker and his family in retaliation for the lawmaker’s criticisms of Beijing. The foreign affairs minister, Mélanie Joly, told a parliamentary committee on Thursday that her office had summoned Chinese ambassador Cong Peiwu to

Unclear who would aid Taiwan in a war, foreign minister says

Taiwan intends to fight for itself in any armed conflict with China and is unclear as to what countries might stand beside it, the self-governing island’s foreign minister said. China claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary, and concerns are rising about a possible armed conflict.In an interview last Friday with Sky News Australia, Joseph Wu said

Wuhan citizen journalist who documented Covid outbreak released after three years detained

Fang Bin, a retailer turned citizen journalist who documented the early outbreak of Covid-19 in Wuhan, has been released after more than three years detention in China, a family member told CNN. Fang disappeared after sharing videos showing the on-the-ground situation in the central Chinese city, the epicenter of the original outbreak, as authorities sought to suppress information about the true

Even China Isn’t Convinced It Can Replace the U.S.

There’s a hardening view in Washington that China seeks to supplant the United States as the leading world power and remakethe international system in its illiberal image. China has of course fed these fears by building up its military, pressing disputed territorial claims, partnering with a revanchist Russia and with its own rhetoric. President Xi Jinping of China has vowed to thwart what he

Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic?

India's population has reached 1,425,775,850 people, surpassing the number of people in mainland China, according to the UN's estimates. India's decennial census - scheduled to be held in 2021 - has been delayed, so there's no official population data. China's most recent - and seventh census - was conducted in 2020. To estimate and project populations of both India and China, the UN relies on