Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 90

Reading the tree leaves: Why a no-show by China’s No.2 general has speculation running wild

The Chinese military officials in brown uniforms fan out around rows of young trees, shoveling soil into freshly dug pits. The camera pans to the most senior leaders one by one, in order of rank. But one prominent face is conspicuously absent.The news segment, aired Wednesday night on China’s state broadcaster, features a tree-planting event in the outskirts of the capital Beijing – an annual

China and US are at each other's throats on tariffs, and neither is backing down

American companies looking to sell into the huge Chinese market have just taken a big hit. A 34% price increase on all US goods entering the country will knock some out of here altogether. This is especially bad for US agricultural producers. They already had 10 or 15% tariffs on their produce entering China, in response to the last round of Trump tariffs. Now, if you add 34% on top of that, it

Rubio dismisses criticism over US response to Myanmar quake

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has dismissed accusations that Washington was left unable to help in the Myanmar earthquake due to the Donald Trump administration's shuttering of its humanitarian aid agency. Asked by the BBC why the US had not meaningfully responded, as it routinely has to past such disasters, Rubio said "we are not the government of the world". Earlier this week, former

Secret papers reveal new details about Andrew's ties to Chinese 'spy'

Prince Andrew's involvement with an alleged Chinese spy came at a time his chief aide and other royals believed his reputation was "irrecoverable". Previously secret documents detail how ex-advisor Dominic Hampshire saw Yang Tengbo as Andrew's "only light at the end of the tunnel" after his Newsnight interview in 2019.The documents also reveal details of Andrew's "communication channel" with

South Korea's president is out - but he leaves behind a polarised country

Pained cries rang out in front of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's official residence on Friday, as judges of the Constitutional Court judges confirmed his impeachment. "I came here with hope in my heart, believing we would win ... It's so unfair," 64-year-old Won Bog-sil told BBC Korean from the rally, where thousands had gathered in support of Yoon.These scenes were live streamed

Taiwan: Cabinet decries US’ 32 percent tariffs

The Executive Yuan yesterday decried US President Donald Trump’s 32 percent tariff on Taiwanese goods announced hours earlier as “unfair,” saying it would lodge a representation with Washington. The Cabinet in a statement described the pledged US tariffs, expected to take effect on Wednesday next week, as “deeply unreasonable” and “highly regrettable.” Cabinet spokeswoman Michelle Lee said that

Are Trump's Asia tariffs a 'full-frontal assault' on China?

As US President Donald Trump laid out tariffs on virtually every one of America's trading partners on Wednesday, he had strong words for Beijing. "I have great respect for President Xi [Jinping] of China, great respect for China, but they were taking tremendous advantage of us," Trump said during his roughly hour-long address.Holding up a chart listing countries and territories that he said had

China urges U.S. to 'immediately' cancel reciprocal tariffs, vows countermeasures

China's Ministry of Commerce urged the U.S. to "immediately cancel" its unilateral tariff measures and vowed to take "resolute counter-measures" to safeguard its own rights and interests, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced what analysts described as the steepest tariff hikes in a century."The U.S. has drawn the so-called 'reciprocal tariffs' based on subjective and unilateral assessments

‘I Love Him’: A Suicide, a Student’s Diary, and a School’s Reckoning

Taiwanese author Lin Yi-han turned her pain into a groundbreaking novel about a teenage girl groomed by her tutor. Not long after its release in 2017, she died by suicide. Years later, a student surnamed Fu read the book and saw her own life in its pages. In her diary, she wrote: “I became guilty, only able to repeatedly tell myself, I love him.” This past January, she, too, took her own

Young, Tired, and Still Trying: China’s Next Generation Rethinks Success

Is your life better than that of your parents’ generation?For all the frustrations young Chinese face in the workplace and at home, many would still answer in the affirmative, says Peter Hessler, the well-known author of “River Town” and “Oracle Bones.” Hessler, who has spent most of the past three decades chronicling the changing lives of Chinese across the world, still sees the younger