Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 42

China’s Xi urges Europe to make ‘the right strategic choice’ amid global trade turbulence at key summit

Chinese leader Xi Jinping urged the European Union to make “the right strategic choice” and enhance cooperation with China, while EU leaders called for a rebalancing of trade ties, as the two sides tackle deep-seated grievances at a tense summit in Beijing.European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with Xi on Thursday morning and Chinese

In China’s Factory Belt, Workers Race to Survive the Robot Era

In a 200-square-meter workshop in the southern manufacturing hub of Foshan, 38-year-old Chen Zhen deftly adjusts the parameters on a robotic arm. As the machine rotates beside him, a simulation mirrors each movement in real time — a tool the mid-career electrical engineer hadn’t operated independently until a specialized course last year.“Now we just run the simulation on a computer instead

Europe and China agree to take action on climate change and nothing else in tense Beijing summit

China and the European Union have issued a joint call to action on climate change during an otherwise tense bilateral summit in Beijing on Thursday riven with major disagreements over trade and the war in Ukraine. The two economic juggernauts issued a joint statement on climate change, urging more emission cuts and greater use of green technology and affirming their support for the Paris

EU-China summit, 24 July 2025: Main results

The 25th EU-China summit took place in Beijing, China.President of the European Council, António Costa, and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, representing the EU, met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang at two separate sessions. The High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, also participated in the meetings.Marking

How a vote targeting 'pro-China' lawmakers has split Taiwan

For most of his life, Deng Pu didn't see himself as an activist – but that changed last year. Furious at what he felt was undemocratic behaviour by Taiwan's lawmakers and overt Chinese influence in parliament, he joined thousands of others in a massive street protest. Two months ago, he signed up with a campaign group.He has never done these things before. "Previous social movements were

The fractured friendship behind the fight at the Thailand-Cambodia border

Cambodia and Thailand have a history of occasional conflict.The two countries share a long and forested border with areas that both sides claim. There have been serious exchanges of fire in the past, too – in 2008 and 2011, clashes on a similar scale saw 40 people killed. However, these were de-escalated relatively quickly. Even as recently as this May, after an incident in which a

Stealing Tibet’s Children: China’s Shameful Colonial Project to Eradicate Tibetan Identity

In the remote highlands of Tibet, a silent crisis is unfolding, one that threatens not just the present generation, but the very future of a people. For over seventy years since China’s occupation of Tibet, successive Chinese governments have struggled to quell Tibetan resilience. Despite waves of political repression and militarized surveillance, Tibetans have maintained their distinct language,

CPC Central Committee member, a former ‘Tibet’ governor, headed for corruption trial

After being put under investigation on Jan 23, 2025 by China’s top party and government anti-corruption bodies, Qizhala (also written as Qi Zhala, Qe Dalha or Che Dalha), a CPC (Communist Party of China) Central Committee member and former Chairman of Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) government, has been dismissed from office and expelled from the party for crimes that include taking bribes and

EU-China summit kicks off under shadow of fraught ties

A summit between China and the European Union (EU) has kicked off in Beijing on Thursday, with leaders set to discuss issues ranging from trade conflict to the war in Ukraine. Expectations have been tempered however by uncertainty over global trade, politics and the attendance of Chinese President Xi Jinping, after he had earlier reportedly declined a visit to Brussels, where the summit was

Thailand seals entire border with Cambodia after clashes kill at least one

At least one civilian has been killed in the crossfire as Thai and Cambodian troops clash in a disputed border area. The fighting on Thursday marks an escalation of a long-standing dispute between the two South East Asian neighbours. Thailand has closed its entire border with Cambodia after telling all its nationals there to leave Cambodia has accused Thailand of using "brutal"