Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 44

The Poker Game Between the US, China, and Europe

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa will be in Beijing on July 24, for a tense meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang – and, hopefully, with President Xi Jinping, though this is still unclear. The former high representative of the EU for foreign relations, Josep Borrell, famously referred to the April 2022 China-EU online talks as a “

Calculated urgency: Marcos Jr.’s Washington visit

The sudden official visit of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to Washington, D.C. from July 20-22, should not be mistaken for an improvised diplomatic gesture. Rather, it is a deliberate, calculated move signaling the Philippines’ deepening pivot toward the United States amid intensifying geopolitical currents in the Indo-Pacific. Beyond ceremonial optics, the visit brings the US-Philippines

How Huawei ascended from telecoms to become China’s ‘jack of all trades’ AI leader

Despite being beaten down by years of U.S. trade restrictions, China’s telecom giant Huawei has quietly emerged as one of the country’s fiercest competitors across the entire AI landscape. Not only does the Shenzhen-based firm appear to represent Beijing’s answer to American AI chip darling Nvidia, but it has also been an early adopter of monetizing artificial intelligence models in industrial

Clout wars: Jensen Huang eclipses Elon Musk and Tim Cook in Washington

The China-U.S. trade war in the first Donald Trump administration saw Apple CEO Tim Cook go on a charm offensive with the president while maintaining strong relations with Beijing. Apple avoided U.S. tariffs and continued to grow in China, while Cook earned the reputation as a skilled policy navigator and prominent American business envoy to Beijing.But, in Trump 2.0, not only has Apple lost its

Why has Japan set up a task force to deal with foreigners?

Japan has worked hard to attract foreigners to boost its sluggish economy but now the perception there are too many has prompted the creation of a new task force, as competition for votes heats up ahead of Sunday’s national election. The issue is on the political agenda ahead of the upper house election, in part because of a fringe party promoting “Japanese first” policies, in a nod to the

China was on the sidelines of the Iran-Israel war. That’s just where it wanted to be

Weeks after his country was battered by waves of Israeli strikes and the US bombed three of its prized nuclear facilities, Iran’s foreign minister came to a gathering of regional diplomats in China this week with a simple ask. Their group, the Beijing and Moscow-backed Shanghai Cooperation Organization, should have a way to coordinate response to military aggression and play a “central role”

A furious Chinese internet takes on privilege

This was supposed to be a breakout year for Chinese actress Nashi, with major roles in two blockbuster films and a highly anticipated TV drama. But then in June, the 35-year-old's star crashed as a furore over her exam scores from more than a decade ago sparked a backlash online – and eventually an official investigation into her academic record.The fallout was immediate. Her name was

Ninth day of Han Kuang focuses on ‘hot refueling’

Taiwanese armed forces yesterday simulated an enemy advance into the Taipei area after a successful landing, while defending units practiced “hot refueling” helicopters on the ninth day of the Han Kuang exercises. Most of yesterday’s training units were concentrated in northern Taiwan, with exercises testing combat troops in defending against an invading force while also repairing damaged

Manila enhancing defense cooperation with Taiwan: report

The Philippines is working behind the scenes to enhance its defensive cooperation with Taiwan, the Washington Post said in a report published on Monday. “It would be hiding from the obvious to say that Taiwan’s security will not affect us,” Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilbert Teodoro Jr told the paper in an interview on Thursday last week.Although there has been no formal change

China Flexes Island-Seizing Capability in Contested Waters

China demonstrated its island-seizing capabilities by deploying air-cushioned landing craft in the South China Sea, where it is engaged in territorial disputes with neighboring countries. In contrast to more-conventional landing boats, air-cushioned landing craft—also known as Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC)—are capable of rapidly reaching landing sites that are difficult to access due to