Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 62

China’s second-quarter growth beats forecasts but deflation fears fuel calls for stimulus, deeper reform

China’s economy grew at a faster-than-expected rate in the second quarter, keeping the country on track to meet its full-year target of 5% and easing some pressure on policymakers to step up stimulus to underpin growth.China’s gross domestic product expanded by 5.2% in the second quarter, according to China’s National Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday. While the growth rate beat Reuters-polled

Nvidia says it will resume H20 AI chip sales to China ‘soon,’ following U.S. government assurances

NVIDIA said Tuesday that it hopes to resume sales of its H20 general processing units to China, in a major win for the company that has suffered from U.S. export curbs. The U.S. government in April told Nvidia it would require a license to sell the chips to China, the company said in a filing, effectively halting their sales. The H20 chips had been designed specifically to bypass earlier

Iran and China Challenge US as Alliance Grows

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit alongside key partners including Russia, marking a significant moment in Tehran's growing alliance with Beijing following its recent conflict with Israel.The visit highlights a strategic alignment as China continues purchasing Iranian oil and transferring missile-related materials and

The Locknet: How China Controls Its Internet and Why It Matters

The man gazes earnestly into the camera, the glow from his computer monitor reflecting off his black-rimmed glasses. “This is more than just a cultural moment,” he says with a smile. “It’s something truly meaningful. This is about mutual respect, kindness, and efforts to understand each other. This feels so good!” he exclaims in a video he posted to RedNote, a China-based social media platform

Censor-busting dissident shines light on overworked Chinese students

An 8th grader from Hunan province was “extremely stressed” — for good reason. His top-ranking middle school demanded he study 85 hours a week, with just two days off a month. “Teachers threatened us that if we reported it, we would be expelled from school,” the student wrote. His story and more than 4,000 like it have been submitted anonymously to a crowd-sourcing website that is shining a light

‘High probability’ Trump and Xi will meet this year, Rubio says

There is a “high probability” that US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will meet this year, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday. “The odds are high,” Rubio told journalists gathered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Friday. “I think both sides want to see it happen.”Rubio said he was unable to provide a date for any potential meeting but said there was a “strong desire on

North Korea reaffirms support for Russia's war in Ukraine

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un offered Moscow his "unconditional support" on the war in Ukraine, according to state media reports. In talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in North Korea, Kim said that Pyongyang stood by "all the measures taken by the Russian leadership" to tackle the "root cause of the Ukrainian crisis".Western officials believe Pyongyang has sent an estimated

The deadly drug that’s complicating US-China trade

Since US President Donald Trump – just days into his second term – began imposing tariffs on China for its role in the flow of deadly opioids like fentanyl into the United States, Beijing’s message has been clear. The fentanyl crisis is the “US’s problem,” Chinese officials have repeatedly said, and China has already done “tremendous work” to address the issue.“We stand ready for practical

China Braces for Summer of Northern Floods and Southern Droughts

Amid mounting global climate pressures, Chinese authorities are warning of a more extreme year ahead, one likely to be marked by frequent and severe floods. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment reported in late June that 2024 was China’s warmest year in 64 years and saw the most major river floods since 1998. But 2025 could be more challenging, the report added. The Ministry of Water Resources

India and China strive to reset ties but with caution

After years of border tensions, India and China appear to be gradually moving towards resetting ties - but larger challenges and suspicions remain. The visit of two senior Indian officials to China late last month was seen as a sign of a thaw in bilateral relations.In June, Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also made separate visits as part of the