Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 137

China continues to shift exports to Global South

China’s exports grew 10.7% year-on-year in December, outpacing November’s 6.7% gain and beating analyst forecast of 7.3% growth. Restocking in anticipation of tariffs accounted for a small part of the gain, but the main driver of Chinese exports remains the Global South, especially to countries where China is building infrastructure. China’s exports to the Global South exceeded its shipments to

Trump's Greenland bid stirs debate in China about what to do with Taiwan

For years, the U.S. government has urged China to show "restraint" in pushing its claim on Taiwan and to drop military threats to bring the democratically governed island under its control. Now - some Chinese commentators say - the power of that long-held U.S. message has been undermined by the threats by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to take control of Greenland and the Panama Canal, by

Why China may be OK with TikTok selling to Elon Musk

After previously opposing the idea of a TikTok sale to avert a looming ban, the Chinese government may have found an owner it could live with: Elon Musk. Chinese officials – who are expected to have some say over whether and how TikTok’s US assets could be sold to an American buyer – are discussing a possible option that involves selling at least a portion of the US version of the app to Musk’s X

Reeves defends China visit and hails £600m boost to UK

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has defended her decision to travel to China to improve economic ties at a time when soaring government borrowing costs threaten to squeeze UK public finances. She says she wants a long-term relationship with China that is "squarely in our national interest" and on Saturday said agreements reached in Beijing would be worth £600m to the UK over the next five years.Her trip

'It was destiny': How Jimmy Carter embraced China and changed history

On a bright January morning in 1979, then US president Jimmy Carter greeted a historic guest in Washington: Deng Xiaoping, the man who unlocked China's economy. The first leader of Communist China to visit the United States, Deng had arrived the previous evening, to light snow and a welcome by the US vice-president, the secretary of state and their spouses.It was the start of a diplomatic

Torbjørn Færøvik: Den største festen i verden er i gang - i India

Hold deg fast! I dag begynner den største festen i menneskehetens uendelig lange historie. «Come to the Kumbh!», «Get rid of your sins!», «Care for your salvation!».Rop og skrik, farger og spetakkel og et menneskemylder hinsides fantasien. Millioner av hinduer har strømmet til den indiske byen Prayagraj for å bade i Ganges og rense seg for alle synder. «O Herre, befri oss fra trelldom og nød

CENTER FOR CHINA ANALYSIS REPORT: CHINA 2025 . WHAT TO WATCH

In the China 2024 report published last year, the authors captured China’s prospects with the phrase “a vexing year ahead for China.” The report forecast an overall erosion of trust in China, intensifying economic headwinds, continuous political purges, widening social discontent, a deteriorating geopoliti cal environment, and unremitting climate events in 2024.This forecast has borne fruit.&

Taiwan’s spy agency says China is working with gangs, shell companies to gain intelligence on Taiwan

Taiwan’s intelligence bureau says China’s main spy agency is working with criminal gangs, shell companies and other dubious partners to gain intelligence on Taiwan’s defenses, resulting in a major rise in those arrested for alleged espionage on the island. Current and retired Taiwanese military personnel are a special concern, accounting for around half of the 64 alleged spies put on trial last

INTERVIEW: 3 of Hong Kong’s most-wanted women on their struggles in exile

They grew up working hard, getting good grades and thinking they’d likely have careers, maybe marry and have kids, all in the city that formed them -- Hong Kong. But now, Anna Kwok, Frances Hui and Joey Siu are all in exile in the United States, with no idea of when they will be able to return. Each has a bounty of HK$1 million (US$128,500) on their heads from the Hong Kong government, which has

Cambodian court sentences 10 Chinese to life in prison in drug case

 A judge in Cambodia has sentenced 10 Chinese citizens to life in prison in a drug trafficking and money laundering case that involved 14 tons of chemical compounds and drugs, a Sihanoukville Provincial Court statement said. The defendants were also fined 100 million riel (about US$25,000) on Thursday by the court in Sihanoukville, a seaside town that has become a hotbed of criminal activity