Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 30

To Lam consolidating hard, fast and forceful rule in Vietnam

August 3, 2025, marks one year since To Lam became General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam’s Central Committee, widely considered the most powerful position in the country. His rise followed an unprecedented upheaval entailing the removal of two of the “four pillars” of leadership, namely President Vo Van Thuong and Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue and the death

Japan’s plan to break China’s rare-earth stranglehold

In the evolving landscape of critical mineral geopolitics, Japan is working to recalibrate its rare-earth strategy amid intensifying competition between the United States and China.While Tokyo has aligned itself with partners such as the US, Australia and India to reduce reliance on Chinese rare earths, analysts caution that Beijing continues to dominate the supply chain, particularly in refining

India’s hand in Trump tariff row stronger than it looks

On August 6, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order doubling tariffs on most Indian exports to the United States, raising the rate from 25 to 50%. The decision, set to take effect later this month, was justified on grounds of trade imbalances and New Delhi’s continued discounted purchases of sanctioned Russian oil.The escalation marks the sharpest deterioration in US-India trade

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 economy.&

Iran Turns to China for Missile Boost: Report

A new report from Israeli media has warned of increased military cooperation between Iran and China, particularly in the production of surface-to-surface missiles. Yedioth Ahronoth cited intelligence findings that Beijing may be helping Tehran rebuild missile capabilities damaged in the recent June war. The concerns surfaced as Israel's military chief, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir,

Torbjørn Færøvik: "Fred i vår tid" - fra München til Alaska

Donald Trump sier han vil bli husket som en fredspresident og legger ikke skjul på at han drømmer om å få Nobels fredspris. Fredag settes han på prøve, for da skal han møte sin russiske motpart Vladimir Putin i Anchorage i Alaska. Viktigste punkt på dagsorden er Ukraina. Mange frykter at Trump skal inngå et «München-forlik» og svikte Ukraina i nødens stund.Men hvorfor er München blitt et synonym

China’s playbook for 90-day trade truce with US

The United States and China extended their trade truce by 90 days on Tuesday (August 12), a trade war ceasefire that will buy time for each to restructure their supply chains in case negotiations collapse in November. After US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday extending the deadline for higher tariffs on China until November 10, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM)

Why Trump bows to Xi but batters and mauls Modi

US President Donald Trump’s 90-day extension of a tariff truce with China while tightening the screws on India is rooted in the cold arithmetic of open macroeconomics – where the balance of real economic power, supply chain leverage and strategic resources determines who can endure a trade war and who must yield. In 2024, the United States ran a US$295.5 billion goods trade deficit with China, a

Beneath Trump’s China truce, a race to find pressure points in high stakes game of ‘3D chess’

The United States and China have settled into a steady state of pragmatic, if uneasy, détente. Tariffs sit at unprecedented, but not economically debilitating levels. Three rounds of bilateral talks have steadily developed and expanded, with a fourth expected this fall. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are circling an in person meeting before the end of the year.“I don’t

China’s clumsy sea aggression marks escalation with Philippines

China’s pincer strategy in the South China Sea appears to have shifted toward more aggressive naval enforcement of its claim to Philippine territory, Philippine armed forces chief General Romeo Brawner said Tuesday (August 12). That move backfired on August 11 after a China People’s Liberation Army Navy ship accidentally rammed into a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel while harassing a Filipino