Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 58

Taiwan is paralyzed by political gridlock. A mass recall of ‘pro-China’ lawmakers could break that

Giant yellow trucks decked with bears sipping boba tea and broadcasting lawmaker speeches, emotional rallies featuring rock bands and rival political camps jostling for support outside metro stations – Taiwan is in the midst of what feels like a full-swing election. But this passionate political theatre is not to elect lawmakers. Instead it is an attempt to unseat them, using an unusual

Trump's Japan Trade Deal Explained: What To Know

President Donald Trump announced that the United States and Japan reached a major trade deal that is "perhaps the largest deal ever made. Japan agreed to invest $550 billion in the U.S., which will tax Japanese goods sold to America at 15 percent—lower than the 25 percent tariff Trump had threatened. Japan will also open its economy further to American cars, trucks, rice and

NATO Ally Shadows China Icebreaker

The Canadian military confirmed to Newsweek that it is "actively monitoring" the Chinese icebreaker Xue Long 2, which was tracked entering Arctic waters from East Asia last week. "The top priority of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is the defense of Canada and Canadians, and we will continue to conduct activities needed to detect, deter, and defend against potential threats in, over, and

Taiwan, EU must forge closer ties: Lai

Taiwan and Europe should forge closer ties to jointly tackle critical security issues, including strengthening societal resilience against disinformation and hybrid threats, President William Lai said during a meeting with members of the Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield (EUDS) at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday.While Taiwan and the EU have close trade and economic

‘How’s Imelda?’: Trump’s connection to Philippine leader may be through his mother

Like most foreign leaders coming to visit President Donald Trump, the Philippines’ Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will look to make a personal connection with his American counterpart on Tuesday as he seeks a new trade deal. For Marcos, the connection may be his mother.“How’s Imelda?” Trump asked the Philippine leader when they first spoke in November, according to an official familiar with the call,

Trump announces trade agreement with the Philippines and terms of deal with Indonesia

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines have reached a trade agreement. Shortly after, he also revealed more detailed terms of an agreement with Indonesia. Both agreements call for 19% tariffs on goods the US imports from the two countries, paid by American businesses, while American goods shipped there won’t be charged a tariff.Trump’s

Chinese and EU leaders are about to meet — but the U.S. is complicating things

China and the European Union will hold a top-level meeting in Beijing on Thursday, while the U.S. is making their already tense relationship more complicated. Clashes over trade and economic policy, technological issues and defense and security have been commonplace between China and the EU — and tensions have recently been heating up. For example, the EU imposed restrictions on Chinese

Trump announces ‘massive’ trade deal with Japan, setting tariffs at 15%

President Donald Trump on Tuesday stateside announced a “massive” deal with Japan that includes “reciprocal” tariffs of 15% on the country’s exports to the U.S., with auto duties reportedly being lowered to that level as well. In a post on Truth Social, Trump called the agreement “perhaps the largest Deal ever made,” while adding that Japan would invest $550 billion in the United States and

The Nvidia Chip Deal Trades Away the United States’ AI Advantage

Last week, U.S. chip designer Nvidia announced that it would resume sales of one of its best-selling artificial intelligence chips to China after obtaining the go-ahead from the U.S. government. In April, the Trump administration had blocked exports of the chip, known as the H20, but after months of lobbying from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, it has reportedly agreed to lift the ban. Some Trump

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 “