Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 229

Former Taiwan president to visit China in unprecedented trip

Ma Ying-jeou, Taiwan’s former president, will visit China this month in the first visit by a current or former leader since the defeated Nationalist Chinese government fled to the island at the end of the civil war in 1949.The high profile visit has been presented by Ma and his party, the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), as a chance to boost friendly cross-strait exchanges at a time of extreme

German Public Opinion in the China Policy Debate

At the dawn of a new political era in Germany, the German population’s growing mistrust of China is a trend with significant implications for the country’s foreign policy.In the March 2023 edition of the monthly political opinion poll ARD-Deutschlandtrend surveyed Germans were asked to identify their nation’s most trustworthy partners. The results revealed that a vast majority of respondents – 83

The Men Who Set the Rules in Chinese Tech

Originally from a rural family, by the time I met Zhang, he was overseeing 20 engineers at tech giant Alibaba. A thirtysomething tech worker with a deep voice and confident manner, he took me through his career path, from joining Alibaba as a junior developer in 2010 to the decision he made to switch tracks twice in search of better prospects within the company. Zhang’s efforts and courage paid

After 3 Years of Lockdowns, a Chinese Border City Struggles to Rebuild

Inside Duobao Zhicheng, one of the largest jade markets in Ruili, the noise is deafening. Dozens of traders hold up green jade jewelry and carvings in front of their smartphone screens — which they’re using to livestream to customers all over China — and yell their prices at the top of their voices. As China moves on from three years of strict pandemic controls, life is gradually returning to

As U.S. Grows Guam Presence to Deter China, Wary Locals Are Denied A Choice

With tensions high between the U.S. and China, one small island in the Pacific stands as a nuclear-capable front line in what has the potential to be one of the devastating wars the world has ever seen. As the U.S. military expands its already dominating presence, however, not everyone who calls Guam home wants any part in such a conflict. And yet, the Indigenous people living on the shrinking

China Watches U.S. Banking Crisis

The banking crisis in the United States is being watched closely in China, where Silicon Valley Bank remains plugged into a vibrant but cautious innovation economy. The Chinese internet exploded with chatter over the weekend following SVB's collapse, the biggest for a financial institution since 2008. In the days after the U.S. federal government stepped in to save the bank's depositors,

The Astounding Hypocrisy of China's Middle East Policy

After years of hostility, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to "reestablish relations" in a deal brokered by China, a nation that has shown little love for millions of the Muslim citizens within its borders. The three countries announced the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two Middle Eastern powers on March 10, including the reopening of embassies in Tehran and Riyadh within the next

What China’s baby woes mean for its economic ambitions

Crystal, who wished to withhold her real name, is a 26-year-old living in Beijing. Unlike most women from previous generations in China, she is unmarried and currently faces no pressure to tie the knot. When asked why that is, she laughs: "I think it's because my family members are either never married or divorced."It appears to be a common sentiment among young urban women in China. A 2021

Hong Kong: two arrested for possessing ‘seditious’ children’s book

Hong Kong’s national security police have arrested two men for possessing children’s books deemed seditious by the authorities – in the latest of a string of moves that underlines the state of civil freedoms in the city. The two men, aged 38 and 50, were arrested and detained after police and customs officers searched their homes and offices and found copies of “seditious publications” that

Chinese billionaire arrested and charged in alleged fraud conspiracy that bilked investors of more than $1 billion

Chinese billionaire and proclaimed dissident Guo Wengui was arrested Wednesday and charged with defrauding thousands of followers out of more than $1 billion through complex investment schemes, US prosecutors announced Wednesday.Guo, a staunch critic of the Chinese government who is exiled in Manhattan and close to former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon, was taken into custody in New York on