Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 145

China firing preemptive trade war shots at Trump

China has heightened trade war tensions with the United States by extending existing tariffs imposed on a crucial chemical solvent, sanctioning seven American firms on security grounds and threatening to stop buying US semiconductors within a single day. China’s Ministry of Commerce (MoC) announced on December 27 that it will continue to impose anti-dumping duties on n-butanol imports from the US

No assurances for Taiwan under Trump 2.0

The incoming Trump 2.0 administration’s nomination of China hawks such as Marco Rubio, Mike Waltz and Elbridge Colby for senior leadership positions would seemingly bode well for Taiwan. Sydney Morning Herald correspondent Lisa Visentin is among those who conclude that “Trump has sent an early message to Beijing that Washington is unlikely to abandon Taiwan.” A recent Taipei Times editorial

Newly released pictures show Joe Biden meeting Hunter Biden’s Chinese business partners

Newly released pictures show then-Vice President Joe Biden meeting some of his son Hunter Biden’s Chinese business partners during an official visit to the country, as well as Hunter meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping and other senior officials. This is the first time these images have been made public, even though the photo ops and meetings they depict have been known about for years. The

Taiwan’s presidential office runs first ‘tabletop’ simulation of Chinese military escalation

Taiwan’s presidential office held a “tabletop” exercise on Thursday simulating military escalations by China, a first-of-its-kind drill involving government agencies beyond the armed forces that highlights Taipei’s urgency in ensuring preparedness against an increasingly assertive Beijing. The simulation involved central and local government units and civil groups, and was aimed at testing

The Near Enemy: China’s Subnational Reach Into the United States

Xi Jinping’s latest visit to the United States had echoes of his 2015 sojourn.1 The Chinese leader’s appearance at the 2023 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in San Francisco featured as much direct engagement with American state, local, and commercial leaders as with counterparts in the U.S. federal government. But the subnational playbook of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was even more on

China approves world’s largest, $137-billion dam on the Brahmaputra close to the Indian border

China has approved the construction of the world's largest dam, stated to be the planet's biggest infra project costing $137 billion, on the Brahmaputra River in Tibet close to the Indian border, raising concerns in riparian states — India and Bangladesh. The Chinese government has approved the construction of a hydropower project in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, the Tibetan name

Former Taiwan presidential hopeful Ko Wen-je charged with corruption

Ko Wen-je, a former Taipei mayor and one-time presidential candidate, has been charged with bribery, profiteering, embezzlement and breach of trust and could face more than 28 years months in prison if convicted Ko, who won support among younger voters in a presidential election this year with promises to upend Taiwan’s political establishment, was indicted on Thursday and released on NT$30

South Korean parliament votes to impeach acting president Han Duck-soo

South Korea’s parliament voted to impeach prime minister and acting president Han Duck-soo on Friday, less than two weeks after parliament stripped President Yoon Suk Yeol of his powers over his short-lived martial law order that plunged the country into political disarray. A total of 192 lawmakers voted to impeach Han, more than the 151 votes needed in the 300-member legislature.Chaotic scenes

China launches new amphibious assault ship in a race to rival US military

China has launched its first next-generation amphibious assault ship, adding a powerful cutting-edge warship to the country’s fast-expanding navy as it races to rival the military power of the United States. The Type 076 amphibious assault ship entered the water on Friday at a launch ceremony at a shipyard in Shanghai, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) said in a statement.Named Sichuan

The mystery surrounding two severed Baltic subsea internet cables is getting murkier

A massive Chinese cargo ship suspected of intentionally severing a pair of fiber optic cables in the Baltic Sea has left the area amid an ongoing international investigation. Cables like these, which are the veins connecting the global internet, have been at the center of suspicious maritime activity in recent years that has resulted in an uptick of outages. In this case, the ship had remained