Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 6

China’s rare earths squeeze leaves US dangerously exposed

The recent intensification of US-China trade frictions, marked by China’s expanded export controls on rare earth elements (REEs) announced on October 9, 2025, and President Donald Trump’s subsequent 100% tariff threat on October 10, underscores the deepening mistrust between the world’s two largest economies.China, which controls 85-90% of global rare earth processing capacity, introduced the

Can Trump’s ‘shock and awe’ doctrine extend beyond Gaza?

US President Donald Trump visited Israel and Egypt this week to oversee the initial implementation of his Gaza peace agreement, which many hope will permanently end the two-year war in the strip. Should the peace hold, the Gaza accord will be Trump’s greatest foreign policy achievement, even surpassing the Abraham Accords of his first term that normalized relations between Israel and several Arab

China says it didn’t reignite trade tensions with the US, Trump did

President Donald Trump expressed shock at China’s “surprising” move to unleash sweeping export controls on rare earths, accusing the country of “becoming very hostile.”But according to Beijing, it was Washington’s expansion of curbs on Chinese firms that ratcheted up tensions and drove it to further tighten its grip on the critical minerals essential in the production of a wide range of

Dow gains almost 600 points after US-China trade showdown hits the pause button

US stocks rebounded sharply on Monday after Friday’s widespread sell-off as investors tried to temper their concerns about renewed US-China trade tensions. The Dow rose 588 points, or 1.29%. The S&P 500 gained 1.56%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 2.21%. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq were coming off of their worst day since April. The S&P 500 on Friday shed $1.56 trillion in market

US calls for China to release 30 leaders of influential underground church

The US has called for the release of 30 leaders of one of China's largest underground church network who were reportedly detained over the weekend in overnight raids in various cities. The list includes several pastors and Zion Church founder Jin Mingri who was arrested in the early hours of Saturday after 10 officers searched his home, US-based non-profit ChinaAid said.The Chinese Communist

Trump’s new 100% tariffs on China triggered an $18 billion crypto sell-off

President Donald Trump’s threat to impose an additional 100% tariff on imports from China sparked a massive cryptocurrency sell-off late Friday that exposed risky leverage in the space.Digital currencies bitcoin, ether and solana were among the most affected cryptocurrencies, bringing total liquidations to $18.28 billion as of 3:47 p.m. ET, according to data analysis platform CoinGlass. The

China ‘not afraid of trade war,’ accuses U.S. of ‘double standard’ for rare earths retaliation

China on Sunday said “we are not afraid of” a trade war with the United States after President Donald Trump vowed to impose punishing new retaliatory tariffs on Chinese imports.A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce accused the U.S. of a “textbook double standard” with Trump’s promise on Friday to tack on additional 100% tariffs on those imports after China imposed new export controls on

Middle East gains ground with Chinese tourists during Golden Week

The Middle East has traditionally not ranked among the top destinations for Chinese travelers, but that appears to be changing fast.During this year’s extended Golden Week holiday — which runs Oct. 1–8 — Chinese travel reservations to Doha surged 441% from a year earlier, while bookings to Abu Dhabi rose 229%, according to Trip.com. The online travel agency said its data covered Sept. 27 to Oct.

China Floats Closer Ties With North Korea Following Trump Escalation

China has said it will pursue closer ties with North Korea, following a reignition of trade tensions with the U.S. On Saturday, the Chinese government announced that it is willing to work with North Korea to “explore the potential for practical cooperation and add more impetus to the development and construction of the two countries,” per a report from state news agency Xinhua.The agreement to

What are rare earth minerals, and why are they central to Trump’s threats against China?

The US trade war with China has a major sticking point: rare earth minerals. China increased its restrictions on its rare earth exports Thursday, leading US President Donald Trump to threaten economic retaliation and imply he would cancel a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinpingduring an upcoming visit to Asia.The tussle over rare earths precedes the current administration; China for years has