Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 361

As Olympics open, Uyghurs set to take rights case to court

China’s treatment of its Uyghur minority could come before the courts in Argentina at about the same time that the Winter Olympics open on Feb. 4 in Beijing. Michael Polak, a British lawyer representing the World Uyghur Congress and the Uyghur Human Rights Project, is preparing a “universal jurisdiction criminal complaint” to submit to the criminal courts of Argentina in February. “We think what

Blinken vows more US military might in Indo-Pacific

The United States will expand its military and economic relationships with partners in Asia to push back against China’s increasing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday. Blinken said the Biden administration is committed to maintaining peace and prosperity in the region and will do that by boosting U.S. alliances, forging new relationships and

Harvard professor’s trial a test of DOJ’s China prosecutions

The trial of a Harvard University professor charged with hiding his ties to a Chinese-run recruitment program is the latest bellwether in the U.S. Justice Department’s controversial effort to crackdown on economic espionage by China. Jury selection started Tuesday in Boston federal court in the trial of Charles Lieber, the former chair of Harvard’s department of chemistry and chemical

UAE suspends multi-billion dollar weapons deal in sign of growing frustration with US-China showdown

The United Arab Emirates has suspended a multi-billion dollar deal to buy US-made F-35 fighter jets, in a sign of Abu Dhabi's growing frustration with Washington's attempts to limit Chinese technology sales to the oil-rich Gulf state. "The UAE has informed the US that it will suspend discussions to acquire the F-35," an Emirati official told CNN. "Technical requirements, sovereign operational

US appears to cut video feed of Taiwanese minister at summit

The White House has been accused of cutting the video feed of a Taiwanese minister after a map in the official’s slide presentation showed the island in a different colour to China’s during last week’s Summit for Democracy, in an effort to avoid antagonising Beijing. Reuters news agency reported that during a panel discussion on Friday, the video feed showing Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s digital

How much does the diplomatic boycott of Beijing 2022 matter?

While concern over human rights has become almost a constant theme in international sport in recent years, few hosts of major events have provoked quite as much controversy as Beijing. The venue for the 2022 Winter Olympics has been hit by a flurry of diplomatic boycotts from countries including the US, Australia, and Britain, because of widespread allegations of Chinese atrocities against the

EU has little appetite to join US diplomatic Games boycott

Several European Union nations have made it clear they have little appetite to join the U.S. initiative for a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Games because of concerns over China’s human rights record. EU foreign ministers were seeking a united front on how to handle the issue, following France’s position last week that a no-show of leaders and dignitaries at the opening of the Olympics

China plays down Lithuania rift as Belt and Road Initiative investments rise in Central, Eastern Europe

China has shrugged off the trade implications of souring diplomatic ties with Lithuania and pressure from the United States, as a senior economic official pointed to strong engagement with Central and Eastern Europe. “Although Lithuania has jumped out and sent a token of loyalty to the US, countries such as Croatia, Serbia and Hungary … they continue to proactively get closer with us without

China’s Alibaba accused of firing female employee who alleged colleague sexually assaulted her

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding has dismissed a female employee who accused a former co-worker of sexual assault earlier this year, the government-backed newspaper Dahe Daily has reported. Dahe Daily interviewed the employee, saying she had received notification of termination at the end of November, and published a copy of what she said was her termination letter. The letter said

China was ready to approve Western mRNA vaccines months ago. Why is it still holding off?

When the highly infectious Delta variant hit China in the summer, some public health experts were hopeful that the country could soon receive an immunity boost from BioNTech's highly effective mRNA Covid-19 vaccine. In July, the shot was reported to have passed an expert review by Chinese regulators and was in the administration review stage, according to Fosun Pharma, the Chinese partner of