Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 383

The suspicious disappearance of tennis star Peng Shuai is straight out of China's playbook for forcing rogue celebrities into submission

The tennis star Peng Shuai, "X-Men" actress Fan Bingbing, and Alibaba founder Jack Ma were darlings of the Chinese state, symbols that Beijing's reach extended to Hollywood and Wall Street. What the trio also have in common is that they vanished without notice after defying Beijing or embarrassing the nation. This tactic — which comes alongside a mass, unopposed crackdown on lawyers, activists,

Peng Shuai: UN calls for proof of Chinese tennis star's whereabouts; WTA chairman willing to pull out of China

China is facing pressure from the United Nations over Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai's whereabouts as the organization called for an investigation into her allegations of sexual assault. Peng, who is one of China's most recognizable sports stars, has not been seen in public since she accused former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of coercing her into sex at his home, according to screenshots of a

Xi has been China's own worst enemy

It is easy to look at recent news from China with alarm. Beijing’s recent hypersonic vehicle tests, expanded nuclear arsenal, and bellicosity toward Taiwan have prompted concern by the United States and its allies. But there is some positive news: Xi Jinping is still the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. And few have done more to alert the world to the threat posed by the Chinese

Work on ‘Chinese military base’ in UAE abandoned after US intervenes – report

US intelligence agencies found evidence this year of construction work on what they believed was a secret Chinese military facility in the United Arab Emirates, which was stopped after Washington’s intervention, according to a report on Friday. The Wall Street Journal reported that satellite imagery of the port of Khalifa had revealed suspicious construction work inside a container terminal built

Yupina Ng: Why I left Hong Kong

It was in the early 1970s, on the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, when my father, without telling his family and friends, fled his birthplace in China by sneaking onto an overnight cargo train transporting crates of pears to the then-British colony of Hong Kong.When he heard the songs of Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng, whose music was at the time banned in China, being played on board the train, he

US media is free to expose national scandals. Can Chinese media do this?

Some Chinese internet users argue that there is no difference between Chinese media and the media in democratic countries because they all serve a political purpose. They give examples to show CNN supporting the Democrats and Fox News defending the Republicans. So, they say, it is unfair to be hostile towards Chinese media.I would give this statement some credit ­– it’s really hard for media

An Army of Fake Fans Boosts China's Messaging on Twitter

China’s ruling Communist Party has opened a new front in its long, ambitious war to shape global public opinion: Western social media. Liu Xiaoming, who recently stepped down as China’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, is one of the party’s most successful foot soldiers on this evolving online battlefield. He joined Twitter in October 2019, as scores of Chinese diplomats surged onto Twitter and

How China Spreads Its Propaganda Version of Life for Uyghurs

Pro Publica and The New York Times analyzed propaganda videos featuring Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities from across Xinjiang. These and thousands of other videos are meant to look like unfiltered glimpses of life in Xinjiang, the western Chinese region where the Communist Party has carried out repressive policies against Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic

China condemns opening of Taiwan office in Lithuania as ‘egregious act’

Taiwan has opened a de facto embassy in Lithuania in a diplomatic breakthrough for the island, brushing aside Beijing’s strong opposition to the move which again expressed its anger and warned of consequences. Taipei announced on Thursday it had formally opened an office in Lithuania using the name Taiwan, a significant diplomatic departure that defied a pressure campaign by Beijing.Lithuania

Peng Shuai: WTA prepared to pull out of China over tennis star’s disappearance

The Women’s Tennis Association is prepared to pull its tournaments out of China if there isn’t an adequate response to Peng Shuai’s allegation that she was sexually assaulted by China’s former vice premier, chief executive Steve Simon has told US media. Peng, Chinese tennis star and former doubles world No.1, has not been seen in public since she accused the former high-ranking official, Zhang