Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 16

China’s Middle Corridor push puts Europe in the slow lane

As Central Asia reshapes Eurasian trade routes, with China and Turkey consolidating influence, Europe faces a strategic test: adapt quickly to stay relevant or risk being sidelined in one of the 21st century’s most consequential connectivity shifts.Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Central Asia has emerged as a critical hub in a reshaped Eurasian trade network. Countries from Kazakhstan to

Huawei’s AI chip plan designed to break US dependence

Chinese tech giant Huawei has unveiled its once-secretive AI chip development program, an announcement that could reshape expectations across the fast-moving, high-stakes global industry.On September 18, Huawei chairman Eric Xu announced a three-year roadmap for the company’s Ascend series of processors at the Huawei Connect 2025 conference in Shanghai.Coming soon after the Chinese government

Torbjørn Færøvik: Franz Kafka Reminds Us What Is at Stake

One autumn day a hundred years ago, a small Berlin publishing house brought out a modest book that passed almost unnoticed. Its author was unknown—and, to make matters worse, already dead by the time of publication. Today, Franz Kafka’s novel The Trial feels more urgent than ever. It opens with a line that has become one of the most unsettling in world literature: “Someone must have been

How China promotes its language and culture in Africa

Miradie Tchekpo biggest dream has come true: She has landed a job as an interpreter working for a Chinese trading company in her home country of Benin. "In middle school, I watched Chinese TV channels and dreamed of traveling to China and getting to know the culture," she told DW. "So I studied Chinese ... and attended courses for three years to gain a professional qualification in Chinese," she

Russia will equip and train Chinese air battalion, leaked documents reviewed by think tank show

Russia has agreed to help China equip and train an airborne battalion, according to leaked documents reviewed by a leading think tank, illustrating the ever-deepening military partnership between Beijing and Moscow.Russia in 2023 agreed to sell a suite of military equipment to China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), including assault vehicles, anti-tank guns, and airborne armored personnel

Russia preparing China for war: report

Russia is selling military equipment and technology to China that could help Beijing prepare an airborne invasion of Taiwan, according to an analysis of leaked Russian documents by a UK-based defense and security forum.The Royal United Services Institute’s (RUSI) analysis is based on about 800 pages of documents, including contracts and lists of equipment to be supplied by Moscow to Beijing, from

Most powerful storm on earth this year lashes Philippines. Hong Kong, Taiwan and southern China on alert

The strongest storm of the year so far has descended on the northern Philippines with destructive winds and torrential rain, prompting evacuations of thousands of people and preparations in nearby Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China. Typhoon Ragasa, known in the Philippines as Nando, made landfall over Panuitan Island, in the northern Cagayan province, on Monday, according to the country’s

JD Vance ‘confident’ the U.S. has ‘successfully separated’ TikTok from China parent company ByteDance

Vice President JD Vance on Sunday said he is optimistic about the future of TikTok in the U.S.“I feel very confident that we have successfully separated this company from TikTok global and actually made it so that we can control people’s data security,” he said on “Fox News Sunday.” “We can ensure that the algorithm is not being used as a propaganda tool by a foreign government.”The popular

Beijing warns new US consul general in Hong Kong not to cross ‘red lines’

Beijing has warned the new US consul general in Hong Kong of potential “severe countermeasures” for crossing “red lines”, with its top office overseeing the city’s affairs reposting a commentary condemning the American envoy for inviting opposition figures to her inaugural reception.The commentary, published by the pro-Beijing newspaper Ta Kung Pao on Saturday and reposted by the Hong Kong and

Torbjørn Færøvik: Fighting «Pessimism and Dark Voices» Is Not an Easy Task

You are feeling down and lack faith in the future. But don’t despair, for there is a way out of the gloom: a national campaign against pessimism!China always takes the lead. Last week, the “Campaign Against Pessimism and Dark Voices” was launched with major newspaper headlines and cheerful advice. Behind it stands the all-powerful Communist Party, dissatisfied with the state of affairs. “Online