Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 372

'MOST LIKELY': Expert's damning new Wuhan Covid lab leak claims

An expert says the lab leak theory is the most plausible explanation for the origins of Covid-19 as research to find evidence the virus emerged naturally continues to prove fruitless. Dr Alina Chan, a specialist in gene therapy and cell engineering at MIT and Harvard, says it is more likely the virus emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in late 2019. Covid-19 has since led to more than

Job prospects are looking grim in China’s once promising tech sector

College graduates have long flocked to China’s booming tech sector for its high salaries and promise of a limitless career path. But deeper than usual layoffs, in some cases spurred by regulatory crackdowns, are increasingly dimming prospects for young job seekers who already face high unemployment.Short video app Kuaishou is said to be conducting a new round of layoffs, according to Chinese

Tech 2021: China Cracks Down on Data Sharing, Cryptocurrency, Gaming and More

Beijing spent the year enforcing new policies against tech firms within its borders, forcing Didi, Tencent, Alibaba and others to reorganize their businesses to appease regulators. Chinese President Xi Jinping's administration also moved to ban cryptocurrency mining, instituted stricter rules around how companies can deploy algorithms, and even mandated how long kids can play video games. The

Taiwan’s Tsai urges unity against rising authoritarianism

Addressing a group of visiting French lawmakers, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen called Wednesday for greater unity among democratic nations in the face of rising authoritarianism. Tsai also said the self-governing island republic would take on greater responsibilities to contribute to regional and global peace and stability.“Democratic allies should strengthen cooperation when facing challenges

Torbjørn Færøvik: Store Kina og "fluen" Litauen

De kinesiske lederne formaner til stadighet andre land om ”å lære av historien”. Formaningene ledsages gjerne av tydelige advarsler, som denne: ”Den som leker med ilden, må selv ta konsekvensene.” Skal vi tro kinesiske medier, har urovekkende mange land lekt med ilden i året vi snart har bak oss. Til og med lille Litauen. Ifølge partiavisen Global Times har dette puslete landet med bare 2,8

U.S. and China Hold Military Talks on Avoiding 'Accidents' at Sea, in Air

U.S. forces in the Pacific are convening virtual talks with their Chinese counterparts this week, in keeping with commitments made during last month's summit between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping. In a statement released on Tuesday, the Hawaii-based U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) said representatives from the U.S. Pacific Fleet(USPACFLT) and U.S. Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) would

Apple Makes 'Essentially Extortion' Payment to China

Apple company CEO Tim Cook agreed to pay the Chinese essentially a $275 billion extortion payment to make sure that Apple would no longer run afoul of various Chinese economic regulations," trade expert Alan Tonelson said last week.Tonelson was referring to the news, first reported on The Information site, that Cook had in 2016 signed a five-year, 1,250-word memorandum of understanding with

China Calls U.S. a 'Saboteur' in Asia

China denounced Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Indonesiaon Tuesday and described the United States as a "saboteur" after Biden's top diplomat echoed regional concerns about "Beijing's aggressive actions."China has overlapping territorial disputes with every South China Sea claimant, each of which has a significantly smaller economy and military but is highly dependent on the Chinese

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