Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 333

After dip in Beijing, Olympians ask: What about Africa?

Victory, of sorts, for Eritrea’s sole Winter Olympian — one of just six athletes competing for African countries at the Games in China — was achieved even before his feat of surviving two runs in blizzard conditions down a hazardous course aptly named The Ice River. Before flying to China for his Olympic ski race in the mountains northwest of Beijing, Shannon-Ogbnai Abeda learned of a

This time, Tibet stands silent as Olympics return to China

As a speedskating team was winning China’s first Olympic gold medal of the Beijing Games, all seemed quiet in the villages that line the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau. A bus flew past gold-roofed monasteries on freshly paved asphalt. Red-robed monks rode motorcycles over windswept plains under snow-capped mountains.It was a stark difference from 14 years ago, when China hosted its first

Fears of online censorship in Hong Kong as rights group website goes down

The website of a UK-based advocacy group appears to have become inaccessible through some networks in Hong Kong, raising fears of mainland-style internet censorship in the Chinese territory. The group, Hong Kong Watch, which monitors human rights, said it worried the censorship could be a part of a wider crackdown on freedom of speech under Hong Kong’s national security law, which allows the

Covid: Hong Kong's hospitals overwhelmed amid spike in cases

Hong Kong's healthcare system has been overwhelmed by a huge surge in Covid-19 cases, with infected patients being treated outside crowded hospitals. The government has admitted it is struggling to contain the fifth wave of infections, fuelled by Omicron. But it has ruled out a city-wide lockdown. A record 4,285 new cases were reported on Wednesday. Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the local

China continues its labour abuse practices against Uighurs: UN

China continues to carry out discriminatory work policies, such as forced labour, impossible production expectations and long working hours, against the Uighurs in its northwest province of Xinjiang, a United Nations committee said on Friday, urging Beijing to bring its employment practices in line with global standards.The report from the International Labour Organization stressed that China has

How Beijing residents are taking a ‘closed-loop’ Winter Olympics

The Beijing Winter Games are halfway through and the mood in the host city, the first to have hosted both a Summer and Winter Olympics, is mixed for most residents who cannot attend the competitions held in a rigidly pandemic-preventative “closed loop”. Alex Acker, an expat in Beijing for both Games, is showing the event at his Jing-A craft brewery branches but he says the 2008 Beijing Summer

‘Speed dating’ with Xi: China shows off its new friends at Beijing Winter Olympics

As Argentina’s president Alberto Fernández backed out of Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, his ambassador delivered a final message to Chinese leader Xi Jinping: “Without the Communist party, there would be no new China!”The jingoistic line — the title of a famous revolutionary song — was received warmly. “Well said, well said,” Xi responded last week from behind a surgical mask embossed with

China savages American 'traitor' in ugly Winter Olympics furore

Chinese internet users have dubbed 22-year-old figure skater Nathan Chen a 'traitor' and demanded he 'get out of China' after winning gold for Team USA in the men's individual figure skating. Chen, a Chinese American who also helped Team USA to silver in the team competition, was subjected to a barrage of taunts by Chinese social media users for his efforts. Users were evidently angered by Chen's

What Xi Jinping’s latest comments on food security suggest about China’s priorities for 2022

For the past couple of decades, safeguarding food security has been a critical priority for the Chinese central government. Beijing has sought to strengthen its focus on food security through increased agricultural production and diversification of imports, and President Xi Jinping’s recent comments signal continued concerns at the top about China’s food security. Ahead of the 20th National Party

China Strengthens Ties in Mideast and Africa As US Influence Declines

Perceptions of America's global influence are in decline, according to a report from the Eurasia Group Foundation, as the number of global respondents who gave a "very positive" appraisal of U.S. influence decreased by 20% between 2019 and 2021. These declines in sentiment are most pronounced in Middle Eastern and African states, which have opened their doors for Chinese dealmakers to expand