Ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrated next week, and as part of different “fairs” and activities around Beijing, some venues have been busy setting up their stages and props. For a second year in a row, one of the fairs will be devoted to technology and — yes, again — robots will take center stage. People will see them dancing and also them stacking blocks on top of others to make a little tower, skewering hawthorn berries onto a stick — coated with a syrup, a popular sweet snack — or playing soccer.
mandag 16. februar 2026
People — and robots — are getting ready to celebrate the Lunar New Year in China
It’s not just people — in China, the robots are also getting ready to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Friday was dress rehearsal day for four cute humanoid robots, each about 95 centimeters (3 feet) tall at a mall in western Beijing. Curious onlookers stopped to watch. Each robot got a colorful lion costume and within minutes the moves started: Bend the knees, up, to the left, to the right, shake the mask, and do it all again!
Ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrated next week, and as part of different “fairs” and activities around Beijing, some venues have been busy setting up their stages and props. For a second year in a row, one of the fairs will be devoted to technology and — yes, again — robots will take center stage. People will see them dancing and also them stacking blocks on top of others to make a little tower, skewering hawthorn berries onto a stick — coated with a syrup, a popular sweet snack — or playing soccer.
Ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrated next week, and as part of different “fairs” and activities around Beijing, some venues have been busy setting up their stages and props. For a second year in a row, one of the fairs will be devoted to technology and — yes, again — robots will take center stage. People will see them dancing and also them stacking blocks on top of others to make a little tower, skewering hawthorn berries onto a stick — coated with a syrup, a popular sweet snack — or playing soccer.
China grants UK and Canada visa-free entry, raising total to 79 countries
British and Canadian citizens can enter China without a visa starting Tuesday, bringing to 79 the number of countries granted visa-free access in a bid to boost tourism and business. China has expanded eligibility for the program significantly in the last two years. Visitors can stay for up to 30 days for business, tourism, exchange programs and to visit family and friends.
Most Europeans qualify for visa-free entry, along with some from select countries in other regions including Latin America, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Citizens of a few other countries, including the United States and Indonesia, can enter for 10 days if they are in transit — meaning they have a ticket departing for a different country than they arrived from.
Most Europeans qualify for visa-free entry, along with some from select countries in other regions including Latin America, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Citizens of a few other countries, including the United States and Indonesia, can enter for 10 days if they are in transit — meaning they have a ticket departing for a different country than they arrived from.
Norway Faces Up to Trump’s Demands for the Nobel Peace Prize
Jonas Gahr Støre, the mild-mannered prime minister of Norway and the scion of a wealthy industrial family, was returning home from a ski outing one Sunday last month when he decided to dash off a text message to Donald Trump. Composing it from the car, he proposed that the leaders talk to find an off-ramp from the looming crisis over Greenland, the semiautonomous Danish territory that the American president has been publicly threatening to seize.
Trump’s campaign poses a threat not just to Greenland and Denmark but also to NATO. The day before Støre’s text, Trump had vowed to impose tariffs on a handful of European countries that had sent soldiers to the Arctic territory in a show of unity with Denmark. The Norwegian prime minister suggested to Trump that they “deescalate,” entreating him, “so much is happening around us where we need to stand together.” The message was co-signed by another Scandinavian leader, Alexander Stubb, the president of Finland.
Trump’s campaign poses a threat not just to Greenland and Denmark but also to NATO. The day before Støre’s text, Trump had vowed to impose tariffs on a handful of European countries that had sent soldiers to the Arctic territory in a show of unity with Denmark. The Norwegian prime minister suggested to Trump that they “deescalate,” entreating him, “so much is happening around us where we need to stand together.” The message was co-signed by another Scandinavian leader, Alexander Stubb, the president of Finland.
What We Know About China’s Secretive Nuclear Submarine Fleet
The growth in China’s naval capability over the past decade has been mostly discussed in terms of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) surface fleet. However, nuclear attack submarines (SSN) production has also proceeded at a new, steady pace in recent years.
China’s SSNs receive less attention in most defense commentary due to a combination of high PLA secrecy and the lack of images – which is to be expected, given their role. This article will examine recent SSN developments for the PLAN, in context of established defense media commentary and observable images, and cautiously project future possibilities based on indicators from the PLA watching grapevine.
Chinese nuclear submarine production occurs at Bohai shipyard, in Huludao. In 2019, I published an article suggesting that a newly constructed series of complexes at Bohai was likely intended for future, sustained production of nuclear submarines.
China’s SSNs receive less attention in most defense commentary due to a combination of high PLA secrecy and the lack of images – which is to be expected, given their role. This article will examine recent SSN developments for the PLAN, in context of established defense media commentary and observable images, and cautiously project future possibilities based on indicators from the PLA watching grapevine.
Chinese nuclear submarine production occurs at Bohai shipyard, in Huludao. In 2019, I published an article suggesting that a newly constructed series of complexes at Bohai was likely intended for future, sustained production of nuclear submarines.
Blood in Ghulja: The 1997 Massacre and China’s War on Uyghur Dissent in Xinjiang
On the 29th anniversary of the Ghulja Incident, also known as the Yining Incident, memories of one of the most consequential episodes in modern Xinjiang history continue to resonate deeply among Uyghurs and international human rights observers. What began as localized protests in early February 1997 escalated into a violent confrontation that left lasting political, social, and human consequences—many of which are still unfolding today.
Throughout the 1990s, China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region faced increasing repression against its Uyghur population. Ethnic, cultural, and political grievances were met not with dialogue, but with intensified state control, surveillance, and violent crackdowns. The Chinese government responded to unrest and militant incidents—including those attributed to the Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM)—with the “Strike Hard” campaign in 1996, which targeted not only alleged militants but also ordinary Uyghurs practicing their religion, speaking their language, or expressing cultural identity.
Throughout the 1990s, China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region faced increasing repression against its Uyghur population. Ethnic, cultural, and political grievances were met not with dialogue, but with intensified state control, surveillance, and violent crackdowns. The Chinese government responded to unrest and militant incidents—including those attributed to the Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM)—with the “Strike Hard” campaign in 1996, which targeted not only alleged militants but also ordinary Uyghurs practicing their religion, speaking their language, or expressing cultural identity.
Vanishing Elites: Disappearances and Purges in Xi Jinping’s China
Since assuming leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2012, Xi Jinping has overseen the most sweeping anti-corruption campaign in modern Chinese history. Officially framed as a drive to eliminate graft and restore Party discipline, the campaign has reached deep into the upper echelons of political, military, financial, technological, and cultural life.
But beyond court verdicts and expulsion notices lies a recurring pattern: sudden disappearances.
Senior ministers vanish from diplomatic calendars. Generals stop appearing at military ceremonies. Billionaire executives become “unreachable.” Celebrities are erased from streaming platforms. In most cases, official Chinese media later confirm investigations for “serious violations of discipline and law,” without detailed evidence. In others, there is no formal explanation at all.
But beyond court verdicts and expulsion notices lies a recurring pattern: sudden disappearances.
Senior ministers vanish from diplomatic calendars. Generals stop appearing at military ceremonies. Billionaire executives become “unreachable.” Celebrities are erased from streaming platforms. In most cases, official Chinese media later confirm investigations for “serious violations of discipline and law,” without detailed evidence. In others, there is no formal explanation at all.
Xi Jinping’s Military Purge Deepens: From Water-Filled Missiles to the Fall of China’s Top General
North Korea opens new housing area for families of soldiers killed overseas
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has opened a new housing district in Pyongyang for families of soldiers killed while fighting overseas amid the East Asian country’s support for Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Kim said Saeppyol Street was “a source of honour for our generation and a pride of Pyongyang and our state”, North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported on Monday.“He prayed for the immortality of the martyrs along with its inauguration which will etch the martyrs’ names and images in history,” it added.
While the report did not mention Russia, Kim last week pledged to “unconditionally support” all of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s policies and decisions. Under a mutual defence pact with Moscow, Pyongyang dispatched thousands of soldiers to Ukraine in 2024, according to South Korean, Ukrainian and Western officials.
Kim said Saeppyol Street was “a source of honour for our generation and a pride of Pyongyang and our state”, North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported on Monday.“He prayed for the immortality of the martyrs along with its inauguration which will etch the martyrs’ names and images in history,” it added.
While the report did not mention Russia, Kim last week pledged to “unconditionally support” all of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s policies and decisions. Under a mutual defence pact with Moscow, Pyongyang dispatched thousands of soldiers to Ukraine in 2024, according to South Korean, Ukrainian and Western officials.
Torbjørn Færøvik: Midnight in the Kremlin - The Speech That Shattered the Stalin Cult (1956)
Something extraordinary happened in Moscow late in the evening of February 25, 1956. The delegates to the 20th Congress of the Communist Party were preparing to go to bed when they were suddenly ordered back to the assembly hall. “Quick! Hurry!”
St. George’s Hall in the Kremlin was at that time the Soviet Union’s most important political meeting chamber. There the party’s First Secretary, Nikita Khrushchev, was waiting for them. The doors were closed, and before he mounted the podium, the delegates were strictly instructed not to take notes of the speech.
“Comrades,” Khrushchev said, surveying the hall. Over the next four hours he would shake the party, the Soviet Union, and the world. It did not take long before he began to lash out at his predecessor, Joseph Stalin. Stalin! The greatest man under heaven, Lenin’s faithful disciple, the Marxist-Leninist genius, the father of nations, and much more.
Torbjørn Færøvik: Da Khrusjtsjov hudflettet Stalin
Noe underlig skjedde i Moskva sent på kvelden den 25. februar 1956. Delegatene til kommunistpartiets 20. kongress var i ferd med å gå til sengs da de plutselig ble beordret tilbake til møtesalen. «Fort! Skynd dere!»
St. Georgsalen i Kreml var på den tiden den viktigste politiske møtesalen i Sovjetunionen. Der ventet partiets generalsekretær, Nikita Khrusjtsjov, på dem. Dørene ble lukket, og før han gikk på talerstolen, fikk delegatene streng beskjed om ikke å ta notater av talen.
«Kamerater», sa Khrusjtsjov og så ut over salen. De neste fire timene skulle han ryste partiet, Sovjetunionen og verden. Det varte ikke lenge før han begynte å hudflette sin forgjenger, Josef Stalin. Stalin! Det største menneske under himmelen, Lenins trofaste disippel, det marxist-leninistiske geni, nasjonenes far og mye mer.
St. Georgsalen i Kreml var på den tiden den viktigste politiske møtesalen i Sovjetunionen. Der ventet partiets generalsekretær, Nikita Khrusjtsjov, på dem. Dørene ble lukket, og før han gikk på talerstolen, fikk delegatene streng beskjed om ikke å ta notater av talen.
«Kamerater», sa Khrusjtsjov og så ut over salen. De neste fire timene skulle han ryste partiet, Sovjetunionen og verden. Det varte ikke lenge før han begynte å hudflette sin forgjenger, Josef Stalin. Stalin! Det største menneske under himmelen, Lenins trofaste disippel, det marxist-leninistiske geni, nasjonenes far og mye mer.
India kicks off AI Impact Summit amid rising safety concerns
New Delhi is set to host a five-day global artificial intelligence summit starting Monday to discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with the technology, amid rising concerns of job security and child safety. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hosting the summit that kicks off on Monday afternoon.
The annual summit will be the fourth of its kind, with previous meetings being held in France, South Korea and the UK. This is the first time it is being hosted by a developing country. India has quickly climbed the ranks of AI competitiveness as calculated by Stanford University researchers, landing in the third place last year behind the US and China.
The annual summit will be the fourth of its kind, with previous meetings being held in France, South Korea and the UK. This is the first time it is being hosted by a developing country. India has quickly climbed the ranks of AI competitiveness as calculated by Stanford University researchers, landing in the third place last year behind the US and China.
Lunar New Year gives luxury brands a chance to win back big spenders in China
Luxury brands from Harry Winston to Loewe are going all in on Lunar New Year collections in a bid to attract Chinese customers.
Ahead of the Year of the Horse, which starts on Tuesday, Harry Winston unveiled a limited-edition, $81,500 rose gold watch with diamond bezels and a red lacquer horse. High-end fashion brand Chloé released a capsule collection, ranging from $250 silk scarves to a $5,300 snakeskin and leather shoulder bag with a horse head and tail linked by a horsebit chain. A slew of other brands, including Loewe, Gucci and Loro Piana, have introduced new bag charms with horse motifs.
The Year of the Horse arrives at a time of cautious optimism for designer brands and could mark the start of a China’s luxury market comeback.
Ahead of the Year of the Horse, which starts on Tuesday, Harry Winston unveiled a limited-edition, $81,500 rose gold watch with diamond bezels and a red lacquer horse. High-end fashion brand Chloé released a capsule collection, ranging from $250 silk scarves to a $5,300 snakeskin and leather shoulder bag with a horse head and tail linked by a horsebit chain. A slew of other brands, including Loewe, Gucci and Loro Piana, have introduced new bag charms with horse motifs.
The Year of the Horse arrives at a time of cautious optimism for designer brands and could mark the start of a China’s luxury market comeback.
søndag 15. februar 2026
US, China embracing risk in Pakistan’s violent mineral frontier
For much of Pakistan’s modern history, Balochistan has been described in terms of risk and security, political grievances and stalled development. Its immense mineral wealth, long noted in geological surveys and policy debates, has yet to translate into sustained, meaningful international investment. The result has been a persistent gap between promise and reality, shaping global perceptions of the province as a frontier of dangerous uncertainty rather than a destination for long-term economic commitment.That narrative, however, is beginning to change.
Renewed waves of Chinese and Pakistani investment, focused on the long-delayed Reko Diq project, suggest that major investors are reassessing both the scale of Balochistan’s buried mineral treasures and the strategic logic of remaining engaged despite chronic instability and insurgent threat.
China’s Nuclear Acceleration Revealed in Satellite Images
China is building out and redesigning sites connected to its nuclear weapons program, according to a new report, as the lapse of the world's last treaty limiting nuclear weapons has fueled fears of a new nuclear arms race.
Several facilities linked to China's nuclear weapons in country's southwest Sichuan province have been refurbished or expanded in the past seven years, The New York Times reported on Sunday.
The only remaining agreement on long-range, highly-destructive nuclear weapons expired earlier this month. New START had put caps on how many strategic nuclear weapons both the U.S. and Russia could have and no fresh deal has replaced it.
Several facilities linked to China's nuclear weapons in country's southwest Sichuan province have been refurbished or expanded in the past seven years, The New York Times reported on Sunday.
The only remaining agreement on long-range, highly-destructive nuclear weapons expired earlier this month. New START had put caps on how many strategic nuclear weapons both the U.S. and Russia could have and no fresh deal has replaced it.
China Dreams of Challenging US Dollar Supremacy
President Xi Jinping has set his sights on a "powerful" currency befitting China's growing stature on the world stage, one that could challenge if not erode the U.S. dollar's decades-long dominance in financial markets.
But the Chinese yuan, or renminbi, is unlikely to become a key player in foreign exchange reserves without sweeping structural reforms that Beijing has been hesitant to make, analysts say.Despite lackluster consumer demand and a five-year housing slump, China still is by many measures in an enviable position. It is the world’s second-largest economy by nominal gross domestic product—and the largest in purchasing power parity terms—and it drove 30 percent of global economic growth last year, Chinese officials say.
China also boasts the largest banking system by assets, enabling it to fund large-scale infrastructure projects at home and abroad. It also has the world’s largest stockpile of foreign exchange reserves—a substantial buffer against financial shocks.
But the Chinese yuan, or renminbi, is unlikely to become a key player in foreign exchange reserves without sweeping structural reforms that Beijing has been hesitant to make, analysts say.Despite lackluster consumer demand and a five-year housing slump, China still is by many measures in an enviable position. It is the world’s second-largest economy by nominal gross domestic product—and the largest in purchasing power parity terms—and it drove 30 percent of global economic growth last year, Chinese officials say.
China also boasts the largest banking system by assets, enabling it to fund large-scale infrastructure projects at home and abroad. It also has the world’s largest stockpile of foreign exchange reserves—a substantial buffer against financial shocks.
lørdag 14. februar 2026
China’s Xi Celebrates Recent Military Purges
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has appeared to celebrate a series of political purges that he ordered that have roiled the People's Liberation Army, as China's military media heaped him with high accolades in messages marking the imminent start of China's new year.
Speaking via video link from military headquarters in a building in the heart of Beijing this week, Xi sent his greetings to troops around the country for the new year that begins next week, calling the past year "very unusual, very extraordinary" and saying it was a year marked by "political rectification," a Communist Party term for enforcing ideological discipline and for purges.
Speaking via video link from military headquarters in a building in the heart of Beijing this week, Xi sent his greetings to troops around the country for the new year that begins next week, calling the past year "very unusual, very extraordinary" and saying it was a year marked by "political rectification," a Communist Party term for enforcing ideological discipline and for purges.
India, China and the regret of Gyalo Thondup
Gyalo Thondup, who died on February 8, 2026, at 97 at the Indian hill station Kalimpong, carried with him secrets of a vanished era — and a warning for the present one. As the elder brother of the 14th Dalai Lama and a principal architect of the Tibetan resistance, Thondup stood at the intersection of Tibet’s tragedy and Asia’s great-power rivalries.
His memoir, The Noodle Maker of Kalimpong, pulls back the curtain on a shadow war that entangled Tibet, India, China and the United States. It also offers a sobering lesson for New Delhi today.Thondup’s greatest regret, he wrote, was trusting the CIA.
He wrote, “in all my life, I have only one regret: my involvement with the CIA. Initially, I genuinely believed that the Americans wanted to help us fight for our independence. Eventually, I realized that was not true. It was misguided and wishful thinking on my part. The CIA’s goal was never independence for Tibet. In fact, I do not think that the Americans ever really even wanted to help. They just wanted to stir up trouble, using the Tibetans to create misunderstandings and discord between China and India. Eventually they were successful in that. The 1962 Sino-Indian border war was one tragic result.”
His memoir, The Noodle Maker of Kalimpong, pulls back the curtain on a shadow war that entangled Tibet, India, China and the United States. It also offers a sobering lesson for New Delhi today.Thondup’s greatest regret, he wrote, was trusting the CIA.
He wrote, “in all my life, I have only one regret: my involvement with the CIA. Initially, I genuinely believed that the Americans wanted to help us fight for our independence. Eventually, I realized that was not true. It was misguided and wishful thinking on my part. The CIA’s goal was never independence for Tibet. In fact, I do not think that the Americans ever really even wanted to help. They just wanted to stir up trouble, using the Tibetans to create misunderstandings and discord between China and India. Eventually they were successful in that. The 1962 Sino-Indian border war was one tragic result.”
his holiday is the world’s biggest homecoming. But how do you celebrate in the midst of grief?
Every morning, 68-year-old Yip Ka-kui sends his wife a voice note that will never be heard. Sometimes he tells her about things he’s seen, or something that would make her laugh. Recently he shared that their granddaughter scored the second-highest grade in her class on end-of-year exams.
This would typically be a cause for celebration for the tight-knit family. But last November, Yip’s wife Pak Shui-lin was among the 168 people killed in a fire that tore through seven high-rise residential blocks in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district.
Now more than two months on, the city is preparing to ring in the Lunar New Year, which begins on Tuesday. It’s the most important festival on the Chinese calendar – a time for families to reunite. Known as the world’s largest annual homecoming, each year hundreds of millions of people across China return home to visit loved ones. Most apartments in Hong Kong are already festooned with red lanterns and banners inviting happiness and good fortune.
This would typically be a cause for celebration for the tight-knit family. But last November, Yip’s wife Pak Shui-lin was among the 168 people killed in a fire that tore through seven high-rise residential blocks in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district.
Now more than two months on, the city is preparing to ring in the Lunar New Year, which begins on Tuesday. It’s the most important festival on the Chinese calendar – a time for families to reunite. Known as the world’s largest annual homecoming, each year hundreds of millions of people across China return home to visit loved ones. Most apartments in Hong Kong are already festooned with red lanterns and banners inviting happiness and good fortune.
China has another solution to its shrinking population: robots
China’s birth rate has hit a historic low – deepening fears of a major economic shock in the decades to come as the country’s massive labor force dwindles and its population of pension-drawing retirees swells. A flurry of policies from Chinese authorities to spur procreation – from cash handouts and tax breaks to new rules making marriage easier – has so far failed to stop the downward slide, data released last month shows.
But the country is also eyeing another potential fix: robots and automation.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has for years overseen a push to upgrade and automate the country’s manufacturing sector, part of Beijing’s goal to transform China into a self-sufficient high-tech powerhouse.
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