Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 265

China’s shrinking population: what it means for the rest of the world - expert panel

China has entered a period of “negative population growth”, an important moment in the history of the country. As recently as 2019, the UN projected the population would peak in 2031-32, but despite major government efforts to reverse the trend, China has now begun what is expected to be a long period of population decline.The ongoing shift in demographics could have a profound effect on

China Covid: Coffins sell out as losses mount

The coffin makers of northern Shanxi province have been busy. We watched the skilled craftsmen as they carved elaborate decorations into the freshly-cut wood. Over recent months, they say, they haven't had time to stop. One villager, a customer, told us that at times the coffins have sold out. Laughing with a dose of the black humour you find in the area, he added that those in the funeral

China rings in Lunar New Year with most COVID rules lifted

People across China rang in the Lunar New Year on Sunday with large family gatherings and crowds visiting temples after the government lifted its strict “zero-COVID” policy, marking the biggest festive celebration since the pandemic began three years ago.The Lunar New Year is the most important annual holiday in China. Each year is named after one of the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac in a

Podcast: Xi Jinping’s Charm Offensive in Southeast Asia

Following the 20th Party Congress, China’s paramount leader Xi Jinping engaged in a flurry of high-level diplomatic meetings with heads of state from dozens of countries in East and Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. In this episode of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle speaks with Hoang Thi Ha, Senior Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, about Xi’s recent diplomacy,

China says 80% of population have had Covid-19, as millions travel for Lunar New Year

Eight in 10 people in China have now been infected with Covid-19, a prominent government scientist has claimed. Wu Zunyou, the chief epidemiologist of China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Saturday – the eve of the Lunar New Year – that the present “wave of epidemic has already infected about 80% of the people” in the country of 1.4 billion people. His claim came amid

Lunar New Year: Chinese families meet for bittersweet reunions

"I'm so looking forward to going home this time," says Sandy Bai. "I'm grateful that I'll be able to see my whole family." It's been three years since the young communication professional, who lives in Hong Kong, has been home to Shanghai. She last saw her family in 2020 when she visited them over the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, as it's known in China.That visit happened just before the

Why are South Koreans losing faith in America’s nuclear umbrella?

They have them, so we need them.That is the fundamental argument for South Koreans who want their country to develop its own nuclear weapons. It’s about the need to protect themselves from an aggressive northern neighbor that is already a nuclear power in all but name and whose leader Kim Jong Un has vowed an “exponential increase” in his arsenal.The counter-argument, which has has long stopped

World Uyghur Congress loses legal challenge against UK authorities

The World Uyghur Congress has said it is disappointed to have lost a legal challenge against UK authorities for not launching a criminal investigation into the importation of cotton products manufactured by forced labour in China’s Xinjiang province but would continue to fight for accountability. The WUC took the home secretary, HM Revenue and Customs and the National Crime Agency (NCA), to the

‘The last generation’: the young Chinese people vowing not to have children

Talk to any young woman in urban China about the prospects of having children and the chances are, they are not keen. “It costs too much to give kids a decent life. The stuff they teach at school is propaganda, so I’d want to send them to an international school or abroad. But I can’t afford that,” said Kongkong, a 26-year-old researcher who swears she will not have children.This week, the

At Last, a Spring Festival Family Reunion After Three Years

Chen Hong is finally returning home for the holidays after three years away. The 48-year-old, who works at a metal refining factory in Malaysia, hadn’t been able to fly to China since 2020 due to the country’s strict travel policies, which included a lengthy quarantine. Now that authorities have dismantled the policy, making travel easier, many people like Chen are making the long-awaited journey