Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 109

Taiwan negotiating new arms deal with US: media

Taiwan is in the process of negotiating a new arms deal worth billions of dollars with the United States, Reuters news agency reported, citing unidentified sources. Meanwhile, the top US military commander in the Indo-Pacific, Adm. Samuel Paparo, has warned that Chinese military drills around Taiwan were actually “rehearsals” for an attack on the island.Three sources familiar with the situation,

Xi Is Making the World Pay for China’s Mistakes

President Trump’s readiness to use coercive tariffs presents a profound threat to the postwar economic and political order, introducing an unpredictability to global commerce that makes it difficult for trade partners to know how to react — and next to impossible for businesses to plan.But he is not the only danger the world economy faces and may not even be the biggest. That may be President Xi

The Guardian view on the US, China and the rest: Trump is opening doors for Xi

Donald Trump’s return to the White House is so far proving more nightmarish for US allies and friends than adversaries. China certainly doesn’t relish a trade war with the US, but it was better prepared than others for Mr Trump’s tariffs, and both sides appear to be leaving room for a potential deal. And, though China’s leader, Xi Jinping, is poised for worse to come, the second Trump term is

China anger as US amends wording on Taiwan independence

The US State Department has dropped a statement from its website which stated that Washington does not support Taiwan's independence - a move which has sparked anger in China. China said the revision "sends a wrong... signal to separatist forces advocating for Taiwan independence", and asked the US to "correct its mistakes".The department's fact sheet on Taiwan-US relations earlier included the

Is China’s military really built for war? New report questions Beijing’s arms buildup

China is not ready for war, according to a contentious report from a US think tank, which claims the main motivation for the ruling Communist Party’s expansive push for military modernization is to retain its grip on power – not fight an overseas foe.Beijing has pursued a head-turning military buildup under Chinese leader Xi Jinping, during which the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) – previously

In from the cold? Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma spotted among top tech bosses who met China’s Xi

Chinese leader Xi Jinping hosted Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma and the country’s top tech executives in Beijing on Monday, in a meeting that signals officials could be steering the country in a more business-friendly direction after a yearslong regulatory crackdown.Besides Ma, the other tycoons in attendance included Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, BYD CEO Wang Chuanfu, CATL CEO Zeng Yuqun and Xiaomi

I was 10 when my father paid a smuggler to take me out of Tibet

 When my editor asked me to report on the secret journey Tibetans take to escape into exile, I did not think that there was much worth writing about. It is the story of almost everyone in my community. It is not news, and we are in the news business. But as I reported the story, I could feel its power – and it reminded me of details of my own journey that I hadn’t thought about in years.I

Ukraine broadcasts appeal to North Korean soldiers to surrender

Ukrainian troops have begun broadcasting surrender appeals in Korean, assuring North Korean soldiers fighting in Kursk they will be treated humanely as prisoners of war, according to a Ukrainian activist group. The report comes after Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had requested a few thousands more troops from North Korea.As many as 12,000 North Korean soldiers are in Russia to

China Finally Agrees With Trump

China has backed President Donald Trump's call to scale back military expenditures, saying the United States, as the world's top defense spender, should set the example. Trump on Thursday called for talks with the U.S.'s most powerful adversaries, China and Russia, to engage in talks on drawing down defense spending and their nuclear stockpiles—once "things settle down," saying there was "no

China Mobilizes Military Against Canadian Warship Near Coast

The Chinese military claimed that it deployed forces against a Canadian warship, which transited a contested waterway between China and the self-governed island of Taiwan.China has long claimed that it has "sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction" over the 110-mile-wide Taiwan Strait. However, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a state's sovereignty ends after the