Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 280

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

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