Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 45

Yu Jie: What China Wants

With many commentators eulogizing the liberal international order that had hitherto underpinned US hegemony, some are wondering if President Donald Trump has given his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, a gift. While Trump prizes unpredictability, Xi aims to position China as a force for global stability. Thus, there is a widespread assumption that China will rush to fill the vacuum left by an

Rare Earth Elements - China's Strategic Dominance and the U.S. Response

The current US-China trade war under President Trump’s second term differs significantly from the first trade war (2018-2020) in both scope and strategy, particularly with the central role of rare earth elements (REEs). During the first trade war, broad-based tariffs were implemented on China, aimed on reducing trade deficits and addressing intellectual property theft. The scope includes mainly

The coming rare earths war China has the advantage

If there is a moment of origin for the China shock that has hit the United States, it is events around rare earths in the late summer and early autumn of 2010. That August, China reduced its export quotas for the rest of the year. The following month, it stopped selling rare earths to Japan after the Japanese Coastal Guard detained the captain of a Chinese fishing trawler that had struck one of

Torbjørn Færøvik: August 15, 1945. The Emperor Speaks

 It could not be true.On August 15, 1945, at exactly noon, Japanese citizens who turned on their radios leaned forward, ears straining, and stared at one another in disbelief. They were told that none other than Emperor Hirohito himself would address them. It had never happened before.Seconds passed, and then a thin, deliberate voice slipped into millions of homes. “To my subjects,” he began

Final arguments in Jimmy Lai’s national security trial in Hong Kong delayed over health concerns

The final arguments in prominent Hong Kong activist Jimmy Lai’s national security trial were postponed Friday after his lawyer said the former pro-democracy newspaper founder had experienced heart palpitations and the judges wanted him to receive medical treatment first.Lai, the 77-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, was arrested in 2020 under a national security law

Japan and China commemorate World War II anniversary on different dates

Eighty years after the end of World War II, Japan and China are marking the anniversary with major events, but on different dates and in different ways.Japan remembers the victims in a solemn ceremony on Aug. 15, the day then-Emperor Hirohito announced in a crackly radio message that the government had surrendered, while China showcases its military strength with a parade on Sept. 3, the day

“REVERSE RUNOLOGY?” SOME ÉMIGRÉS RECONSIDER THEIR ESCAPE FROM CHINA

The struggle for a better life has long pushed many Chinese citizens to escape difficult conditions at home. In the most recent waves of emigration, tens of thousands of Chinese migrants have made perilous journeys through Central America along the “walking route,” or zǒuxiàn, in an attempt to reach the southern U.S. border. But the political climate at their destination has become increasingly

CENSORSHIP AND PROPAGANDA FUEL ANTI-JAPANESE NATIONALISM DURING CHINA’S WAR ANNIVERSARIES

Last month, a Chinese man attacked a Japanese woman and her child in a subway station in Suzhou, sending her to the hospital for treatment. Media reports about the attack were censored on WeChat. The Japanese government called on Chinese authorities to “punish the suspect, prevent similar incidents and ensure the safety of Japanese nationals.” As some Chinese commentators wrote online, the

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