Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 263

Xi Jinping: Full Text of Speech to the 20th Communist Party Congress

«Comrades,​On behalf of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China(CPC), I will now deliver a report to the 20th National Congress.The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is a meeting of great importance. It takes place at a critical time as the entire Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups embark on a new journey to build China into a modern

Torbjørn Færøvik: Røyksignalene fra Kinas konklave

Forestill deg en katolsk konklave hvor prelater fra fjern og nær møtes for å velge ny pave. Prelatene stenges inne i dager og uker mens drøftelsene pågår, helt til et forløsende røyksignal stiger til værs og alle kan trekke et lettelsens sukk. Det kinesiske kommunistpartiets 20. kongress er over. Mens konklaven pågikk, ble de 2300 delegatene fullstendig avskåret fra omverden. Ingen av dem fikk

Xi Jinping's party is just getting started

Comparing Xi Jinping to Mao Zedong is "inane", scoffs Rebecca Karl, a professor of Chinese History at New York University. "If you're going to compare two people, it has to reveal something. It's like comparing Putin to Stalin or Liz Truss to Margaret Thatcher."At first glance, the parallels are striking. Chairman Mao, as he was known, was the defining political figure of 20th Century China. He

Xi Jinping enters third term as China’s most powerful leader in decades surrounded by loyalists

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has formally stepped into his norm-breaking third term ruling China with an iron grip on power, as he revealed a new leadership team stacked with loyal allies. On Sunday, a day after the close of the five-yearly Communist Party Congress, Xi announced six men – Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi – to stand alongside him as members of the

Politburo Standing Committee: Who are the men that rule China now?

The Chinese Communist Party has finally unveiled the men who will rule China for the next five years The Politburo Standing Committee is China's equivalent of the presidential cabinet. It is considered the elite of the elite within the party, and getting to the top often requires not only a stellar political track record, but also deft manoeuvring of internal rivalries. It is not unusual to see

China's 'Bridge Man' inspires Xi Jinping protest signs around the world

A rare one-man protest against Xi Jinping in Beijing has inspired solidarity protests around the world as China's party congress sits this week. Last Thursday, a man strung banners across a bridge in China's capital that accused Mr Xi of being a dictator. He was quickly detained but photos of his action spread around the world.Since then similar signs and messages have appeared on several

Torbjørn Færøvik: Hvor ble det av kvinnene?

Det kinesiske kommunistpartiets 20. kongress er over. Partiet har fått ny sentralkomité, nytt politbyrå og en ny “fast komité” som skal styre landet de neste fem årene. Komiteen består av bare sju personer og skal, nå som før, ledes av “kamerat Xi Jinping”. Kineserne omtaler ham som “formannen for alt”.Men hvor er kvinnene i den strålende kinesiske maktpyramiden?En rask opptelling viser at den

The White House: «The People’s Republic of China is the only competitor with the intent to reshape the international order»

 «We are now in the early years of a decisive decade for America and the world. The terms of geopolitical competition between the major powers will be set. The window of opportunity to deal with shared threats, like climate change, will narrow drastically. The actions we take now will shape whether this period is known as an age of conflict and discord or the beginning of a more stable and

Torbjørn Færøvik: Mange kinesere har en inngrodd frykt for kaos. Denne frykten kan gagne Xi Jinping.

Åpningen av det kinesiske kommunistpartiets kongress søndag gikk helt etter planen. Alle kom i tide, og alle hadde kullsvart hår. Også Xi Jinping, sjefsproletaren, hadde rukket å farge sin tykke, grånende manke. Mange av Kinas fremste menn er mellom seksti og sytti år, men ingen av dem aksepterer å bli gamle. Siden de representerer et perfekt parti, gjør de et nummer av å være svarthårede,

China congress: Xi Jinping doubles down on zero-Covid as meeting opens

China's President Xi Jinping signalled there would be no immediate loosening of his controversial zero-Covid strategy as a historic Communist Party congress opened in Beijing. In a break in decades-long tradition, delegates are likely to hand Mr Xi a third term as party chief.Zero-Covid was a "people's war to stop the spread of the virus", he said. The policy has saved lives, but also exacted a