Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 9

Torbjørn Færøvik: Liten bønne kan velte stort lass

Soyabønnen blir sjelden mer enn 10 millimeter i diameter. Nå står den i sentrum for handelskrigen mellom USA og Kina. I juni stanset Kina all import av soyabønner fra USA, og bøndene i Midtvesten gruer seg til fortsettelsen. Fra slettene i Iowa, Illinois og andre delstater kommer fortvilte rop om hjelp, men utsiktene er alt annet enn lyse.  «Jeg har sagt veldig klart til president Xi Jinping

How Vietnam could ease Trump’s China soybean pain

On October 8, Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade confirmed that Hanoi and Washington are negotiating the 20% reciprocal tariffs and 40% transshipped product levy imposed on Vietnamese imports.The talks come as the US intensifies its protectionist measures against Asian economies that have trade deficits with the US and as Donald Trump seeks a political win with American farmers, a key

Midlife crisis as EU relationship with China has turned 50?

The fiftieth anniversary of formal ties between the European Union and China has highlighted the differences between the two on fundamental security and trade issues.At a late July summit celebrating the anniversary, the EU asked China to stop supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and stop flooding European markets with subsidized exports. China said no. Bridging those differences would require

India: Modi and Starmer hail trade deal during Mumbai visit

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Mumbai on Thursday, as the two leaders hailed a new trade deal that they said could transform bilateral economic relations. Starmer visited India's financial capital for two days, joined by some 125 leaders from Britain's business, culture and university sectors.The welcoming by Modi comes as the Indian government

Korea: Fading hopes for families split by North-South divide

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has called on North Korea to permit brief reunions of families that have been separated by the Korean War decades ago, although analysts say his pleas will almost certainly fall on deaf ears in Pyongyang."Unfortunately, inter-Korean relations are currently mired in deep distrust, but the issue of separated families remains the top priority that South and North

China tightens rules to block Pakistan rare earths exports to US

China has announced new measures restricting the export of its rare-earth extraction technologies after learning that Pakistan uses Chinese equipment to produce niche metals for the United States.The new rules, issued by the Chinese Commerce Ministry, cover rare‑earth production, processing and separation equipment, as well as related raw and auxiliary materials. Overseas rare earths producers

How China wields rare earths as a strategic weapon

China's chokehold on rare earths — the minerals essential for electronic, automotive and defense systems — gives it significant leverage over the United States during ongoing trade talks. With control over about 60% of global rare earth production and nearly 90% of refining, China has been tightening its grip by imposing export restrictions on rare earth elements and permanent magnets.Some of the

Satellite Photos Show China’s Mock Taipei City for Invasion Training

Satellite imagery shows China has further expanded its mock-up of Taiwan’s administrative center at a military training base in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The site—centered on a replica of the building housing Taiwan’s Presidential Office—is now triple the size it was in 2020, according to an analysis by the Japan Institute for National Fundamentals (JINF) think tank, as Beijing

Satellite Pictures Show China’s Growing Invasion Fleet

Satellite imagery appears to show a rare assembly of Chinese amphibious assault ships in the Yangtze River Estuary, suggesting a high state of readiness among forces that would likely play a central role in any invasion of Taiwan. China continues to expand the capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), now the world’s largest by hull count, with more than 370 warships and

Satellites Capture Chinese Aircraft Carriers at South China Sea Naval Base

Two of China's aircraft carriers are back at their home port in Sanya, Hainan, after departing last week to escape adverse weather conditions brought by a typhoon, satellite imagery confirms. China claims dominion over most of the South China Sea, a conduit for roughly one-fifth of global maritime trade and an area also claimed by several of its neighbors. An international arbitral court largely