Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 357

Hong Kong: Why the Legco elections are so controversial

Hong Kong is holding its first legislative council election since China introduced sweeping changes that have altered the city's political landscape. The government says the revamped electoral system will ensure only "patriots" will be allowed to stand for election and eventually hold positions of political power. However, critics say it has weakened the city's democratic voice, eradicating

Amazon Removed Reviews of Xi Jinping's Book on Orders From Beijing: Report

Amazon elected to remove all comments and reviews tied to a listing on its Chinese site marketing the speeches and writings of the country's Communist leader Xi Jinping after Beijing issued an order demanding the feedback be removed from its site. This action took place about two years ago but reportedly wasn't covered until Reuters released a "special report" on Friday. In its report, the outlet

China is pressuring Germany over Lithuania diplomatic spat

China is pressuring German car parts giant Continental (CONG.DE) to stop using components made in Lithuania, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters, amid a dispute between Beijing and the Baltic state over the status of Taiwan. The targeting of Continental is an example of how the China-Lithuania diplomatic spat is spilling over into business in an era of global supply chains and

Chinese Workers Are Saying Enough Is Enough, and Xi Is Not Amused

The so-called great resignation that’s confounding businesses in the West has a counterpart in a most unlikely place: China. On this week’s Stephanomics podcast, we offer a double dose of China’s “lie flat” movement, which is challenging the nation’s historic industriousness, as well as a glimpse into how America’s massive pandemic bailout juiced spending, especially among historically

Amazon Killed One Of Its Most Popular Features Because China’s Communist Party Demanded It

Amazon stopped offering customer ratings and reviews of books sold in China at the request of the Chinese Communist Party, according to a Reuters investigation. The Chinese government ordered Amazon to stop allowing customers to review books following less-than-perfect ratings of a collection of President Xi Jinping’s writings, Reuters reported, citing two people familiar with the matter. Amazon

The war over Chinese Wikipedia is a warning for the open internet

This past July, before he was banned from Wikipedia, Techyan was one of dozens of volunteers preparing to speak at the free-knowledge movement’s annual conference, Wikimania. Born in China’s northeast, Techyan, as he’s known in the Wikipedia community, had been editing Chinese Wikipedia since his early teens. As one of its three dozen elected administrators, he hoped his presentation would put a

Russia and China are pushing the US toward some hard choices on Ukraine and Taiwan

Russia's ongoing military buildup along its border with Ukraine has cast into sharp relief the debate about how the United States, and its allies, can most effectively ensure security in the no man's land lying beyond NATO's eastern perimeter. Meanwhile, China's mounting campaign of military pressure and intimidation against Taiwan is leading some observers to question the strength of US

Opinion: In China, Wang Huning is the man to see

Pray for Wang Huning. Wang is almost certainly the most dangerous man in the world that most folks have never heard of. He is member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party but is best understood to be the big thinker in President Xi Jinping’s inner circle. Wang is in charge of writing the future of the People’s Republic of China, and he can likely enforce that vision

China’s trade attack on Lithuania exposes EU’s powerlessness

The EU has no good cards to play as China rapidly ups the ante in its economic hit job against Lithuania. As Lithuania sought to deepen diplomatic ties with Taiwan over recent months, Beijing has moved to make an example of Vilnius by flexing its massive trade muscle and stopping imports of Lithuanian goods. Business organizations told POLITICO that China's embargo is now hitting manufactured

Lithuania to ask European leaders for help against China after diplomats pull out

Lithuania is to ask European leaders for help against Chinese pressure after the Vilnius delegation and its dependents left China in a hasty departure and amid denials from Beijing there were concerns for Lithuanian diplomats’ safety. China downgraded its diplomatic ties with Lithuania last month after the opening of a representative office by Taiwan in Vilnius under its own name.Lithuania’s