Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 18

Trump's tariffs are pushing food and drink exporters closer to China

US President Donald Trump says his sweeping tariffs on most of the worldwill create jobs in the US, boost the American economy and bolster Washington's tax revenues. But some experts have warned that they could also push exporters towards other countries like China and risk raising prices for American shoppers. Agricultural brokers have told the BBC that they have seen a surge in interest in

From Cinema to Tian’anmen: How China Got Its National Anthem

The history of China’s national anthem, “March of the Volunteers,” began on Sept. 18, 1931. On that day, Japanese troops faked an attack on a railway line in northeastern China — known as the Mukden Incident — and used it as a pretext to invade and occupy three provinces. By 1932, they had propped up the puppet state of Manchukuo, aiming to use the region as a springboard for their greater

A Wrong Turn in the Indo-Pacific | Opinion

Just a few months ago, U.S.-India relations were on an upswing.When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the White House in February 2025, the visit was a grand affair, full of pomp and circumstance. It also yielded tangible results, including a new understanding on defense cooperation between Washington and New Delhi, a shared commitment to expand bilateral trade, and the launch of a new

Mr. Trump, Stop Pushing India Away | Opinion

The sudden imposition of U.S. tariffs on India has sparked intrigue in the American media landscape. It's a rare occurrence to see India feature in U.S. news headlines—a feat usually reserved for major natural disasters.India is considered an important U.S. ally in the Indo-Pacific, countering China's dominance in global supply chains. But the U.S.-India relationship, which seemed to be sailing

Donald Trump Laments Loss of India, Russia to 'Deepest, Darkest China'

President Donald Trump said it "looks like we've lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China" in a new post on his Truth Social platform. "May they have a long and prosperous future together!" Trump wrote early on Friday morning, September 5, sharing an image of the leaders of the three countries together. Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin and

The paradox behind China’s military parade

When Beijing staged its largest military parade in a decade on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, the pageantry was carefully choreographed. DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missiles and J-20 stealth fighters in a flex of military confidence abroad and reassurance at home.Once reliant on Soviet imports and fragmented production, China has consolidated its

The real reason Modi went to China

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to China, to attend the SCO leaders’ summit in Tianjin, was by any measure a milestone. Modi’s first visit to China in seven years represented a long-awaited breakthrough in China-India relations and a snub to Washington, whose relations with Delhi have recently nosedived.Significantly, the Indian leader traveled to China to attend a

‘Natural allies’: wrong term for China, Russia, Iran, North Korea

Support of Russia’s war efforts through military technology supply by China, Iran and North Korea has understandably exacerbated Western fears of an emerging bloc. Cooperation among what experts label as “natural allies” to form a united front against the US-led international order has earned them the title “Axis of Upheaval.” And now China, Russia, Iran and North Korea even have an acronym:

Xi-Modi-Putin economic axis hardens as Trump tariffs backfire

Call it the axis of major economies that are moving on without the US.US officials wondering what effect President Donald Trump’s move to slap 50% tariffs on India might have need look no further than Prime Minister Modi’s travel schedule. This week, the Indian leader was in Beijing, standing shoulder to shoulder with China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.Modi’s first trip to the Chinese

Xi and Kim pledge deeper ties a day after unprecedented show of unity with Putin at Chinese military parade

Chinese leader Xi Jinping and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un have pledged to deepen strategic coordination in their first formal summit in six years, after they put on an unprecedented show of unity against the West alongside Russia’s Vladimir Putin at a massive military parade.Xi met Kim, who has sent troops to aid Russia’s war against Ukraine, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday