Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 264

The World Bank: Reforms for Recovery. East Asia and Pacific Economic Update, October 2022

China continues to resort to mass testing and local mobility restrictions to suppress the spread of COVID-19. This zero COVID policy is motivated by the concerns that a spike in infections could overwhelm health system capacity especially in rural areas where the number of unvaccinated people among vulnerable groups remains significant and few have attained immunity conferred by prior infections.

Forbidden Writer: An Interview with Author Yan Lianke

The Chinese writer Yan Lianke was born in Song County, Henan province, in 1958. At twenty he joined the army. He graduated from Henan University with a degree in politics and education in 1985 and six years later left the People’s Liberation Army Art Institute with a degree in literature. From his humble beginnings as a propaganda writer, Yan has gone on to become among China’s most controversial

Discussion: What’s Ahead for China’s Economy?

When China’s 20th Party Congress convenes in mid-October, the country’s leaders are certain to be grappling with a host of external challenges, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a fraying relationship with the U.S., and growing tensions with Taiwan. But as the Congress prepares to inaugurate a new slate of Party leaders, likely with Xi Jinping commencing an unprecedented third term, the key

Torbjørn Færøvik: Despoter i solnedgang

De kjemper fortvilet på hver sin front, Vladimir Putin på den rykende vestfronten og Xi Jinping på den store, uoversiktlige østfronten. Begge har sett sine beste dager. Putin har styrt Russland vekselvis som statsminister og president siden 1999, de siste ti årene som president. Nå har han passert de sytti. Xi Jinping har vært partisjef siden 2012 og president siden 2013. Han er ett år yngre enn

Torbjørn Færøvik: Store Bror ser deg. Hele tiden.

Politi overalt. Mange i uniform, andre i sivile klær. De 2300 delegatene som denne uken strømmer til Beijing for å delta på kommunistpartiets 20. kongress, skal vite at de blir godt passet på. Kinas hovedstad har de siste ukene levd i en nervøs unntakstilstand. Kinesere og andre blir til stadighet stanset og kontrollert, særlig de som måtte befinne seg i nærheten av delegatenes hellige møtested,

Torbjørn Færøvik: Kina + Iran = sant

Allah er vår høye beskytter, sier Irans mektige leder, president Ebrahim Raisi.  Men presteregimet har også en sterk støttespiller i Kina. Kinesiske delegasjoner lander til stadighet på flyplassen i Teheran, for Kina kan by på det meste - ikke bare billige forbruksvarer, men også avansert videoovervåking og ansiktsgjenkjenning. Nå ruller presteregimet ut den nye teknologien i by etter by. Etter

China: New Evidence of Mass DNA Collection in Tibet

Chinese authorities are significantly increasing policing, including arbitrary collection of DNA from residents in many towns and villages throughout the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), Human Rights Watch said today.The available information indicates that people cannot decline providing their DNA and that police do not need credible evidence of any criminal conduct. A report from Lhasa

Mass DNA Collection in the Tibet Autonomous Region from 2016–2022

Analyzing 100 publicly available sources, we find that since June 2016 China’s police have conducted a mass DNA collection program in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Out of the 100 sources we analyzed, 44 contained figures for the number of DNA samples police had collected in particular areas of Tibet. Based on our analysis of these 44 reports, we estimate that between June 2016 and July 2022,

Uyghur kids recall physical and mental torment at Chinese boarding schools in Xinjiang

In quiet, polite voices, Aysu and Lütfullah Kuçar describe the nearly 20 months they spent in state boarding schools in China's western region of Xinjiang, forcibly separated from their family. Under the watchful gaze of their father, the two ethnically Uyghur children say that their heads were shaved and that class monitors and teachers frequently hit them, locked them in dark rooms and forced

Now Is the Moment for Global Solidarity with China's Ethnic Minorities

President Xi Jinping is on the verge of securing an unprecedented third term as the leader of the world’s most populous country, the People's Republic of China. On October 16th, the Communist Party congress will declare Jinping as China's ruler for an additional five years. Such congresses typically bring in a new batch of rulers but Xi, who is also head of state and leader of the military,