Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 39

Map Shows US Ally's Bases Where New Counterstrike Missiles Could Hit China

Newsweek map shows the locations of bases where Japan—a United States ally—could deploy new missiles capable of reaching China's coastline to target and sink naval vessels. The upgraded version of the Type 12 missile—which has a maximum range of 621 miles—provides Japan with "counterstrike capabilities" to strike enemy territory directly and "standoff defense capabilities" to eliminate

Torbjørn Færøvik: China's New Gold Will Tame the Mighty and the Small

Eight hundred years ago, Genghis Khan’s horses galloped across the plains of Inner Mongolia. Today, they might risk disappearing into an unimaginably vast hole. Bayan Obo is the world’s largest rare earth mine. Here, China extracts its new gold—a weapon designed to tame powerful enemies and force them to make peace. The Bayan Obo mine is an open-pit operation where thousands of workers labor

China offers parents $1,500 in bid to boost births

Parents in China are being offered 3,600 yuan (£375; $500) a year for each of their children under the age of three in the government's first nationwide subsidy aimed at boosting birth rates. The country's birth rate has been falling, even after the ruling Communist Party abolished its controversial one-child policy almost a decade ago.The handouts will help around 20 million families with

China pitches global AI governance group as the US goes it alone

China has proposed a global action plan to govern artificial intelligence, just days after the United States unveiled its own plan to promote US dominance of the rapidly growing field that’s become a key bargaining chip in trade talks between the economic powerhouses.Chinese Premier Li Qiang unveiled China’s vision for future AI oversight at the World AI Conference (WAIC), an annual gathering in

Streets turn to rivers as deadly flooding inundates northern Beijing

Days of torrential rain have killed at least 30 people in the northern outskirts of Beijing, state media reported Tuesday, as China grapples with yet another deadly rainy season marked by extreme downpours, devastating floods and landslides.In recent days, intense rainstorms have battered much of northern China – a densely populated part of the country home to massive metropolises as well as

Donald Trump Quashes China Summit Rumors: 'No Interest'

U.S. President Donald Trump has rejected reports that he is seeking a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying, "I am not seeking anything." The comment follows a Reuters report about discussions of a potential meeting when the U.S. president travels to Asia later this year.In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump added that he might visit China but only at Xi's invitation, "otherwise

Truce takes effect in Cambodia, Thailand border dispute

A ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia came into effect early Tuesday, aimed to end five days of fierce fighting in a disputed border area that has killed at least 35 people and displaced more than 200,000 others.At a press conference in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Vejjayachai of Thailand shook hands and hailed the outcome.  “

China’s latest AI model claims to be even cheaper to use than DeepSeek

Chinese companies are making smarter artificial intelligence models that are increasingly cheaper to use, echoing key aspects of DeepSeek’s market-shaking breakthrough.Startup Z.ai, formerly known as Zhipu, announced Monday that its new GLM-4.5 AI model would cost less than DeepSeek to use. In contrast to the logic underlying existing AI models, Z.ai said its new GLM-4.5 is built on what’s known

Chinese exports to U.S. could decrease by $485 billion by 2027: Tariff simulator

Exports from China to the U.S. could fall by close to a half-trillion dollars ($485 billion) between now and 2027, according to a tariff simulator that forecasts shifts in global trade. Trade talks between the U.S. and China resumed on Monday in Stockholm. Given China’s dominant position in trade with the U.S., that decline will be larger than the total decline in global exports to the

India overtakes China in smartphone exports to the U.S. as manufacturing jumps 240%, report shows

India has overtaken China to become the top exporter of smartphones to the U.S., according to research firm Canalys, reflecting the shift in manufacturing supply chain away from Beijing amid tariff-fueled uncertainty.Smartphones assembled in India accounted for 44% of U.S. imports of those devices in the second quarter, a significant increase from just 13% in the same period last year. Total