Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 351

Invite Taiwan to massive RIMPAC naval exercises, US defense act says

Taiwan should be invited to the world's largest naval exercise next year, according to the US' 2022 defense spending blueprint signed into law by President Joe Biden this week. The 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) says the invitation would supplement US efforts to support the self-governed democratic island in the face of "increasingly coercive and aggressive behavior" by China. The

Elon Musk's SpaceX satellites catch heat in China over close calls with space station

Elon Musk's rocky year in China is ending on another sour note. The tech billionaire's SpaceX satellites are catching heat in the country after Beijing complained that two satellites launched by the American aerospace manufacturer endangered Chinese astronauts.In a report sent earlier this month to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, China claimed that two SpaceX satellites flew

Bertil Lintner: China showing Myanmar junta how to firewall the internet

The Myanmar military’s firepower may be far superior compared to the scattered resistance armies that have popped up nationwide to fight the Tatmadaw since it staged a February 1 coup, but in cyberspace, pro-democracy forces have a tech-savvy upper hand. Whether the Tatmadaw is killing civilians, burning villages or arresting activists in the dark of night, eyewitness accounts of the abuse are

China closes ranks in battle for rare earth control

Last week, China announced plans to merge three of its main rare earth metal companies, Minmetals Rare Earth, Chinalco Rare Earth & Metals Co, and China Southern Rare Earth Group Co into a yet-to-be-named company. Rare earths are elements which are critical for the manufacture of electronic components and high-tech alloys necessary for civilian and defence applications. They are not rare per se,

Denise Ho: the Cantopop star and pro-democracy activist arrested in Hong Kong

The arrest of Cantopop star Denise Ho in a raid on reporters and prominent figures linked to the Hong Kong media outlet StandNews has shocked her many fans in the city and around the world. The artist was taken from her home in Hong Kong on Wednesday for allegedly conspiring with five others to publish seditious materials in her role as a former director of the independent news provider. Ho’s

Hong Kong police arrest six people from independent outlet Stand News

Hundreds of Hong Kong national security police have raided the office of online pro-democracy media outlet Stand News and arrested six people, including senior staff, for “conspiracy to publish seditious publications”, in the latest crackdown on independent press in the territory.Among those arrested were prominent Hong Kong activists including pop singer Denise Ho and barrister Margaret Ng, both

Belt & Road Phase 2 moves beyond infrastructure

Keep an eye on China’s Belt & Road Initiative in the new year. There is more going on than is generally realized. Belt & Road is not only the construction of land and sea transport “corridors” across and around Asia to Africa, Europe and beyond to facilitate trade; not just Chinese-built ports and harbors along the coasts of Asia, Africa and Latin America that might be turned into naval bases;

From economic miracle to mirage – will China’s GDP ever overtake the US?

“The east is rising, the west is declining”, according to the narrative propagated by the Chinese Communist party (CCP). Many outside China take its “inevitable rise” as read. On the way to becoming a “modern socialist country” by 2035, and rich, powerful, and dominant by 2049, the centenary of the People’s Republic, China wants to claim bragging rights as its GDP surpasses the United States, and

Torbjørn Færøvik: Jeg er stor, og du er liten

Kinesiske poeter har skrevet vakre dikt i tre tusen år, og de gjør det fremdeles. Selv er jeg svak for en av Tang-dynastiets ordkunstnere, Li Bai (701–762), som etterlot seg tallrike dikt. Flere av dem handlet om vinens og vennskapets gleder. ”Frem med vinen mens jeg synger en sang for deg”, skrev han i ett av dem. Men det finnes også et Kina som ytrer seg på en måte som vekker forundring og

Debt-trapped Lao ‘chat girls’ forced to sell sex in China-run economic zone

When a young woman from the Lao capital Vientiane took on a job as a "chat girl” at the Kings Romans Casino in far northern Laos, she saw a chance to earn an honest living selling shares in her new company to casino patrons. But only months after she was recruited and had already agreed to take on debt to finance her application fees and moving expenses, she was told she would have to start