Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 286

China’s Pacific plan is ‘clear’ but so is Australia’s intention to be regional partner of choice

Australia has responded to reports that China is pursuing a Pacific-wide security pact with almost a dozen nations, stating that while Beijing’s intentions were clear “so too are the intentions of the new Australian government” to be the partner of choice in the region. China will seek a regional deal with 10 Pacific island nations covering policing, security and data communications cooperation

China is pursuing a Pacific-wide pact with 10 island nations on security, policing and data

China will pursue a Pacific-wide deal with almost a dozen island nations covering policing, security and data communications cooperation when the foreign minister, Wang Yi, hosts a meeting in Fiji next week, documents show. A draft communique and five-year action plan sent by Beijing to 10 Pacific islands ahead of a foreign ministers meeting on 30 May has prompted pushback from at least one of

Xi Jinping defends China’s human rights record to visiting UN commissioner

China’s leader, Xi Jinping, has spoken with the UN human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, as she visited the Xinjiang region, warning against the politicisation of human rights as an “excuse to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries” and defending his government’s record.It comes amid renewed defensiveness in Beijing after the publication of a significant data leak from Xinjiang’s

John Sudworth: The faces from China's Uyghur detention camps

Thousands of photographs from the heart of China’s highly secretive system of mass incarceration in Xinjiang, as well as a shoot-to-kill policy for those who try to escape, are among a huge cache of data hacked from police computer servers in the region. The Xinjiang Police Files, as they’re being called, were passed to the BBC earlier this year. After a months-long effort to investigate and

China’s foreign minister to visit Solomon Islands amid push for more deals with Pacific countries

China’s foreign minister will visit Solomon Islands this week, one month after signing a security agreement with the Pacific country, on a broader tour where China is seeking more deals in the region.Wang Yi would visit Honiara with a “nearly 20-member delegation”, the Solomons’ government confirmed on Tuesday, calling the trip a “milestone”. “The highlight of the visit is the signing of a number

Joe Biden Is Using Putin Sanctions to Prevent War With China

President Joe Biden on Monday said sanctions placed on Russian President Vladimir Putin for his invasion in Ukraine must continue, adding that the sanctions also serve as a warning to China about what would happen should it try to take Taiwan by force. Biden made the comments during a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo. When taking a question from a reporter

China-U.S. Relationship Like Titanic Headed for Iceberg: State Media Says

A state-run newspaper in China said President Joe Biden's Monday comments about the United States intervening militarily if China attempts to take Taiwan by force is representative of the Biden administration's attempts to "hollow out" the One China Policy. The Global Times quoted Da Wei, director of the Center for International Security and Strategy of Tsinghua University in Beijing, as saying

Airbnb to quit China as lockdowns restrict tourism

Airbnb is shutting down its domestic rentals in China, where a "zero-Covid" policy has meant lockdowns are ongoing. All listings for homes and experiences in the country will be removed from the company's website by summer, a source familiar with the matter told the BBC. Stays within China made up only 1% of Airbnb's revenue over the last few years. The company is expected to instead focus on

China Tells Joe Biden 'No Room for Compromise' on Taiwan

China has said it will not compromise on defending its national interests over Taiwan, in a rebuke to U.S. President Joe Biden's vow to protect the island from any invasion by its neighbor. China has repeatedly said Taiwan is part of its territory despite the two being governed separately since 1949.China has not ruled out using military force to achieve its ambitions with Taiwan. However, the

Biden Says U.S. Would Defend Taiwan if China Invaded: 'Commitment We Made'

President Joe Biden said on Monday that Washington would help defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion should Beijing try try to assert its claims over the self-governing island. The president's latest remarks will likely anger China, which says Taiwan is part of its territory under its "One China" policy despite the democratic island being under separate government since the Chinese Civil War.China