Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 28

China Slowly Making Security Inroads in Southeast Asia, Report Says

China’s efforts to build up its security engagement with the nations of Southeast Asia are starting to make progress, Sydney’s Lowy Institute Analysis said in a new report, although the United States remains by far the region’s most influential security player.The report, published yesterday, analyzed Southeast Asia’s defense agreements, dialogues, and joint military exercises with ten countries:

If China and India Mend Ties, Will South Asia Finally See More Stability?

With Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s recent visit to New Delhi from August 18 to 20, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi preparing for his first visit to China in seven years for the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, the South Asian region is on the brink of significant changes. Most of the analysis on the subject emphasizes the contentious

China’s property woes worsen while Trump tightens trade screws

Xi Jinping’s inner circle in Beijing has had a busy couple of months popping the champagne corks. Along with China growing 5%-plus as the US economy hits a rough patch, President Xi’s team just scored yet another extension on trade talks from Donald Trump. That means another 90 days of stringing along a US leader who’s increasingly anxious for a deal, any deal at all, with Asia’s biggest

When America stops leading, Asia starts looking elsewhere

As political scientist Joseph Nye argues, successful leadership requires more than coercion. It relies on soft power, the ability to persuade through example, credibility and shared benefits. For decades, the US understood this. It led not through coercion but through example. It provided security, opened markets and built institutions that others wanted to join – a model sometimes described as “

China snaps up Russian oil as Indian demand drops following Trump tariffs

Chinese refineries have placed new orders for Russian crude that will be shipped from ports that typically supply India, as demand from the South Asian country for Moscow’s crude slips following US President Trump’s tariffs. At least 15 cargoes of Russian oil have been secured by Chinese refineries for October and November delivery, analysts said.China and India emerged as the top buyers of

Rått parti: Magnus Carlsen mot Donald Trump

Hva skiller en stormester i sjakk fra en stormannsgal politiker? Svaret er konsekvenstenkning - evnen til å forutse hva som følger av en handling, ikke bare i neste øyeblikk, men i flere trekk fremover. Magnus Carlsens bravader ved sjakkbordet er en fortelling om konsekvenstenkning. Hvert trekk han gjør, er summen av tallrike komplekse vurderinger: Hva vil motstanderen svare? Hvilke posisjoner

Watchmaker Swatch apologizes for ‘slanted eye’ ad after online backlash in China

Swiss watchmaker Swatch has issued an apology and pulled ads featuring images of an Asian male model pulling the corners of his eyes up and backwards in a “slanted eye” pose. The images for the Swatch Essentials collection were widely condemned online in China, where many comments said they appeared to mimic racist taunts about Asian eyes.In an apology posted in both Chinese and English on

Hong Kong court hears closing arguments in Jimmy Lai trial

Closing arguments began Monday in the trial of Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy media chief who founded the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper in Hong Kong.  The 77-year-old Lai is charged with illegal foreign collusion and conspiring with others to issue seditious publications under Hong Kong’s restrictive National Security Law, which was imposed by Beijing in 2020. He could face life in

Hong Kong pro-democracy activists granted asylum in Australia and Britain

A Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and a former lawmaker who are wanted by the city’s authorities have been granted asylum in Great Britain and Australia, respectively. Tony Chung, an activist who was imprisoned under Hong Kong’s sweeping national security law, and Ted Hui, a former lawmaker who was facing trial for his role in anti-government protests in 2019, both announced over the

Myanmar’s ruling junta sets Dec. 28 election date as civil war rages

The military-backed election commission in Myanmar set Dec. 28 for the initial phase of long-promised elections, the first since the 2021 coup that overthrew the country’s last elected government and kicked off a still-raging civil war. Junta leadership nominally transferred power to an interim government last month in preparation for the elections. Last week, Min Aung Hlaing, the military chief