Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 72

South Africa downgrades Taiwan status, signaling more China influence, say experts

In a sign of China’s expanding international influence, South Africa has downgraded the status of Taiwan’s liaison office in the country, further diminishing the democratic island’s diplomatic footprint, experts say. South Africa severed formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1997 and recognized Beijing as the government of China. But in the nearly three decades since, it has retained

Trump details plan to build ‘Golden Dome’ missile shield by end of term

President Donald Trump has laid out new details of his ambitious plan for a multibillion-dollar “Golden Dome” missile defense system to protect the United States from foreign attacks, saying it should be complete before he leaves office. “We’ll have it done in three years,” Trump told reporters as he detailed the plan in the Oval Office on Tuesday. “Once fully constructed, the Golden Dome

US and China are already feuding again after unexpected trade truce

Just days after the United States and China declared a temporary truce over tariffs, tempers are already flaring: this time over the future of Beijing’s most advanced homegrown semiconductors. Over the past week, Beijing has repeatedly lashed out at Washington for warning companies against using AI chips made by national tech champion Huawei. It has even accused the Trump administration of “

Indian author Banu Mushtaq wins International Booker Prize with short story collection

Indian author Banu Mushtaq and translator Deepa Bhasthi won the International Booker Prize for fiction Tuesday for “Heart Lamp,” a collection of 12 short stories written over a period of more than 30 years and which chronicle the everyday lives and struggles of women in southern India.The award was announced by bestselling Booker Prize-longlisted author Max Porter in his role as chair of the

US brain drain handing the global talent war to China

Thousands of highly skilled professionals, especially those of Chinese descent, are leaving American institutions for new opportunities in China and elsewhere. This is more than a reversal; it is a redistribution of global brainpower, one that is reshaping research ecosystems and tilting discernibly the balance of global innovation.Between 2010 and 2021, nearly 20,000 Chinese-born scientists left

America is having its Ming Dynasty moment

Ming China was by far the greatest nation on the planet for most of the 15th and 16th centuries…But with the hindsight of history, the Ming doesn’t look so awesome. While China was basking in seemingly timeless stability, Europe was seething with new ideas and technological progress. Even as the Chinese government banned oceanic shipping and heavily restricted foreign trade, European countries

China isn’t getting rid of its controls over rare earths, despite trade truce with US

Despite a 90-day truce in its trade war with the United States, China appears to be maintaining tight control over its rare earth exports – preserving a key source of leverage in future negotiations amid intensifying strategic rivalry with Washington. As part of last week’s trade agreement in Geneva to temporarily roll back tariffs, China pledged to suspend or remove the “non-tariff”

Is China the winner in the India-Pakistan conflict?

The four-day conflict between arch-rivals India and Pakistan this month ended with a ceasefire and both claiming victory – but it now appears that China's defence industry might also be an unlikely winner. The latest flare-up began on 7 May when India launched attacks on what it called "terrorist infrastructure" inside Pakistan in response to the brutal killing of 26 people, mostly tourists by

ndia’s caste system is controversial and discriminatory. So why is it being included in the next census?

For millions across India, a rigid caste system thousands of years old still dictates much of daily life – from social circles to dating pools to job opportunities and schooling. The Indian government has long insisted that the social hierarchy has no place in the world’s most populous nation, which banned caste discrimination in 1950. So, it came as a surprise when Prime Minister

Why China Will Not Invade Taiwan (For Now)

A new narrative is gaining ground, stating that China is likely to invade Taiwan in the near future. The reasoning is straightforward: The Trump administration’s tariff war, and the potential decoupling of the Chinese and U.S. economies, is removing the main reason China has long had for holding back in the first place. Without access to the lucrative U.S. market, China has little left to lose,