Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 379

US warship sails through Taiwan Strait, first since Biden-Xi meet

A US destroyer has sailed through the waterway separating Taiwan and China, the United States Navy said, the first such passage since leaders from the two superpowers held a rare video summit earlier this month.The passage through the Taiwan Strait by the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Milius was a routine transit, the US Seventh Fleet said in a statement. The voyage “

China takes drastic action against 'bad' nation: 'FEEL PAIN'

China has stepped up its response to threats to its 'national sovereignty' in relation to Taiwan by downgrading diplomatic ties with Lithuania. Beijing is enraged over the small European nation allowing Taiwan to officially open its de facto embassy, announcing relations had been downgraded to the level of charge d'affaires, a rung below ambassador."We urge the Lithuanian side to immediately put

As China threat rises, can Aukus alliance recover from rancorous birth?

It was initially seen as an audacious enlistment by Joe Biden of Australia into the 21st-century struggle against China, elevating the country in the process to a significant regional military power and finally giving substance to Global Britain and its tilt to the Indo-Pacific. But since then the “ruckus” about Aukus, as Boris Johnson described it, has not stopped. If this was the start of a new

Five Chinese nationals kidnapped in DR Congo after attack near mine

Gunmen killed a policeman and kidnapped five Chinese nationals near a mine in southeast Democratic Republic of Congo overnight, a local official and an army spokesman said on Sunday. It was not clear who carried out the attack near the village of Mukera in South Kivu province. Relations are already strained between Chinese mining companies and local authorities, who say some firms are operating

China's foreign ministry says Peng Shuai case should not be politicized

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday the government hoped "malicious speculation" about tennis star Peng Shuai's well-being and whereabouts would stop, and that her case should not be politicized. Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, declined to comment on whether the Chinese government will launch an investigation into Peng's sexual assault allegations against

The Quiet China-Africa Revolution: Chinese Investment

The Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), a gathering of Chinese and African officials that has been held seven times (including three leaders’ summits) since its inauguration in 2000, has always been known – and occasionally chastised – for being highly government-focused. At the same time, however, a quiet transformation has been taking place: Investors have begun to dominate China-Africa

IOC interview with Peng Shuai raises even more questions

Out of public view for almost three weeks, Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai has appeared in a video call with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach. The IOC and the Chinese government would like this to be the end of the Peng saga, which has run since Nov. 2 when she accused former vice premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault. That may be wishful thinking on their part.The interview

In Africa, Blinken sees limits of US influence abroad

Traveling across Africa, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken saw firsthand the limits of America’s influence abroad. Blinken confronted authoritarianism, growing threats from newly energized extremists, and persistent challenges posed by COVID-19 and climate change, all of which have stubbornly resisted various U.S. interventions. And, nowhere on his three-nation tour last week — to Kenya,

African nations mend and make do as China tightens Belt and Road

Deep in Kenya's Great Rift Valley, members of the National Youth Service tirelessly swing machetes to clear dense shrubs obscuring railway tracks more than a century old. It's a distinctly low-tech phase for China's Belt and Road drive in Africa to create the trade highways of the future. There's not enough money left to complete the new 1,000-km super-fast rail link from the port of Mombasa to

Xi Says China Will Not Seek Dominance Over Southeast Asia

Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Monday said his country will not seek dominance over Southeast Asia or bully its smaller neighbors, amid ongoing friction over the South China Sea. Xi made the remarks during a virtual conference with the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, held to mark the 30th anniversary of relations between China and the grouping. Two diplomats said