Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 6

Inside China’s Surveillance and Propaganda Industries: Where Profit Meets Party

China’s surveillance and propaganda industries are often depicted as a seamless extension of state power, directed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from the top down. Yet the latest leaks from two firms, Geedge Networks and GoLaxy, reveal something more complex: a commercial ecosystem in which private companies compete for contracts, leverage academic ties, and build sophisticated products to

How Chinese rare-earth mining threatens the Mekong River

Ecologists are warning that mainland Southeast Asia faces a looming ecological disaster unless urgent steps are taken to address the rare-earth mining boom in war-torn Myanmar. According to Global Witness, a London-based watchdog, Myanmar has become the world's largest source of heavy rare-earth elements. These minerals are essential for manufacturing high-tech products like wind turbines,

Could Chinese AI threaten Western submarines?

Psychological warfare has often involved touting technological superiority while suggesting that opponents are powerless against it. Which might be the right context in which to view a new study about an advanced artificial intelligence-driven anti-submarine warfare (ASW) system out of China that can reportedly detect 95% of even the stealthiest submarines.Last week, the Hong Kong-based South

EU's new strategy to lure India away from Russia's orbit

The European Union (EU) proposed a new strategic agenda with India that raises bilateral relations to a higher level amid calls from the United States to hit India with massive tariffs. In July, the EU sanctioned an Indian refinery that refined Russian crude, ensuring it can't sell to Europe. Since then, US President Donald Trump imposed 50% tariffs on India, half of it as punishment for buying

Vegetarianism in India: Personal choice or caste politics?

India has witnessed a growing debate over what people eat over the past decade. Since Narendra Modi became prime minister in 2014, measures targeting meat consumption have increased in parts of the country, especially in northern India's Hindi-speaking states. Authorities in some places have occasionally issued rules discouraging or banning meat-based foods from schools, near places of worship

Torbjørn Færøvik: Donald Trump’s clenched fist

Before Donald Trump traveled to Britain earlier this week, he greeted photographers with a clenched fist and a grim expression. During his stay he continued to raise his fist, and when he finally said farewell, he did it once again. A wave and a friendly smile might have been more fitting, but the clenched fist has become his trademark. “Who was he trying to smash?” asked a British

Obama says the US is at ‘an inflection point’ after Kirk’s killing and Trump has divided the country

Former President Barack Obama says that the United States is at “an inflection point” following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and that President Donald Trump has further divided the country rather than work to bring people together.“There are no ifs, ands or buts about it: The central premise of our democratic system is that we have to be able to disagree and have

How Huawei plans to outperform global tech leaders with less powerful chips

China’s Huawei Technologies said Thursday that it would roll out the world’s most powerful AI computing clusters over the next two years as it seeks to outperform global leaders despite relying on less powerful domestic semiconductors.China is racing to develop its own technology as America restricts what can be sold to China, including its most advanced chips. At the same time, the Chinese

Trump and Xi are set to discuss the TikTok deal and future of US-China relations

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to talk with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday in a push to finalize a deal to allow the popular social media app TikTok to keep operating in the United States.The call also may offer clues about whether the two leaders might meet in person to hash out a final agreement to end their trade war and provide clarity on where relations between the world’s two

China’s Birth Crisis Is a Crisis of Faith in the Future

On September 8, 2025, China began accepting applications for its nationwide childcare subsidy, retroactive to January 1, a flagship policy in its bid to reverse a record-low birth rate. Earlier, in August, the State Council announced that the government will pay for children’s last year of preschool. In recent years, the government has offered tax breaks, housing incentives, and fertility