Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 246

UYGHURS CHALLENGE THE WORLD’S SELECTIVE MEMORIES OF GENOCIDE ON HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY

January 27 is designated by the U.N. as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp, to commemorate the Jewish victims of the Nazi genocide. The world’s resolve to prevent such crimes against humanity from happening again appears to have fallen short in the case of Xinjiang, argued Uyghur activists this month. Concentration camps

Holiday trips within China surge after lifting of COVID curbs

Lunar New Year holiday trips inside China surged 74% from last year after authorities scrapped COVID-19 curbs that had stifled travel for three years, media reported on Saturday. The Lunar New Year is the most important holiday of the year in China, when huge numbers of people working in prosperous coastal cities head to their hometowns and villages for family reunions.But for three years people

The Atlantic Council: China and the New Globalization

The unitary globalized economy no longer exists. Driven in significant part by security considerations, a new and more diverse globalization is both required and being built. The transition is ongoing, and its final form is yet to be determined. Many of the causal factors for this very significant change revolve around China and the consequent responses to its actions by the United States, other

Book Review: Frank Dikötter - China After Mao

China’s rise to superpower status between 1976, when Mao Zedong died, to the first two decades of the 21st century derived from economic, political, and geopolitical factors, not least of which was the illusion among Western statesmen and businessmen that economic development in China would lead to political reform. One of the great merits of Frank Dikotter’s new book China After Mao is that it

What Impact Would a U.S. Debt Default Have on China?

The big political drama in Washington in the next few months will be the fight over the federal debt ceiling. The worst-case scenario is that Congress refuses to raise the ceiling and the U.S. Treasury defaults on its debt. Since U.S. treasury debt powers the entire world financial system, the result could be a massive global economic crisis. If that happens, how well would the world’s

Fortune of Asia's richest man hit by fraud claims

Indian billionaire Gautam Adani saw more than $20bn (£16bn) wiped off his fortune on Friday, after investors fled his companies for a second day prompted by fraud claims made by a US investment firm. The Adani Group has dismissed the report as malicious, but the response has failed to stem the uproar. India's main opposition party has demanded an investigation.The firm's publicly listed companies

China Covid: Coffins sell out as rural losses mount

The BBC has found evidence of a considerable number of Covid-related deaths in China's rural regions, as the virus spread from big cities to more remote areas with older populations. In Xinzhou region of northern Shanxi province the coffin makers have been busy. We watched the skilled craftsmen as they carved elaborate decorations into the freshly-cut wood. Over recent months, they say, they

Ukraine: US sanctions Chinese firm helping Russia's Wagner Group

The US has sanctioned a Chinese company for allegedly providing satellite imagery of Ukraine to support the mercenary Wagner Group's combat operations for Russia. Changsha Tianyi Space Science and Technology Research Institute is among 16 entities slapped with curbs by the Treasury Department. The firm, also known as Spacety China, has offices in Beijing and Luxembourg. Wagner supplies Russia

China claims Covid wave has peaked with severe cases, deaths falling fast

China’s health authorities have said the Covid wave is past its peak, with rapid decline in both severe cases and deaths in hospitals, but experts remain wary of the government’s official data. According to China’s Center for Disease Control (CDC), the number of critically ill patients in hospital peaked in the first week of January, then rapidly declined by more than 70%. The number of deaths

Russian warship armed with hypersonic missiles to train with Chinese, South African navies

A Russian warship armed with advanced hypersonic missiles completed a drill in the Atlantic Ocean, ahead of joint naval exercises with the Chinese and South African navies scheduled for next month, the Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday. Russia’s Admiral Gorshkov frigate, armed with Zircon hypersonic missiles, practiced “delivering a missile strike against an enemy surface target,” the