Kinaforum

mandag 29. desember 2025

Torbjørn Færøvik: The Trump Class - A Battleship Dream from a Bygone Age

Donald Trump’s plan to build a new generation of “fantastic battleships” is a dream that will never become reality. It springs from nostalgia and megalomania, not from realism and mature deliberation. When he promises warships that will be “a hundred times more powerful than today’s,” he enters a rhetorical universe in which fantastical numbers replace sober analysis.

Five days after Trump unveiled the plan, military experts are lining up to dismiss it outright.

“There is no reason to discuss this, because these ships will never be launched,” says senior adviser Mark Cancian at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. His devastating verdict is echoed by many others.

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Hannah Arendt can help us understand today’s far-right populism

Sales of Hannah Arendt’s The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951) rocketed when Donald Trump won the 2016 US presidential election. Nearly a year into the second Trump administration – and 50 years since Arendt’s death in December 1975 – it seems an apposite time to revisit the book and see what light it sheds on 2025.

The book is brilliant but difficult, combining history, political science and philosophy in a way that can be very disorientating. So what might democratic citizens gain from reading it?

Born to a secular German Jewish family in 1906, Arendt studied philosophy under Martin Heidegger and Karl Jaspers before turning to Zionist activism in Berlin in the early 1930s. After a brush with the Gestapo, she fled to France, and in 1941 left Europe for the US. So when she began researching Origins in the early 1940s, she was no stranger to totalitarianism.

The disaster-prone Philippines invested billions in flood control. Then officials looted the funds

Ace Aguirre was just two bites into his oatmeal on the morning of November 4 when he noticed something strange: mud had seeped onto the living room floor of his bungalow in Cotcot, a village in the Philippines’ Cebu province.

The moments that followed will be forever seared into Aguirre’s memory. His living room furniture floating; the terrifying few minutes when he wasn’t sure he’d be able to pry the front door open; his son praying to God as the water rose to their chests; his daughter, who can’t swim, perched high on a pillar as water and cars gushed by, inches from her feet.

“I don’t know how we were able to survive. One detail that didn’t go our way and many of us could have died,” Aguirre told CNN.

That morning Typhoon Kalmaegi dumped over a month’s worth of rain, causing rivers and waterways in Cebu to swell and unleashing catastrophic flash flooding that killed more than 230 people nationwide.

China announces war games around Taiwan after hitting out at major US arms deal

China’s military announced Monday it was mobilizing army, navy, air and rocket units around Taiwan for “major military drills” aimed at sending a “serious warning” against any push for Taiwanese independence and “external” forcing interfering with the island.

The exercises – dubbed “Justice Mission-2025” – would test combat readiness and “blockade and control of key ports and critical areas,” China’s Eastern Theater Command said. Live-fire activities would take place in five maritime and airspace zones encircling the island, according to information released by the command.

Taiwan’s government condemned the drills, accusing China of “military intimidation,” while its defense ministry said it was “fully on guard” and would “take concrete action to defend the values of democracy and freedom.”

Myanmar’s military junta begins elections as civil war sparked by coup still rages

Voters queued at polling stations in Myanmar on Sunday to vote in a controversial election the military junta says will return democratic rule, nearly five years after it seized power from an elected government, unleashing a brutal civil war it has yet to win.

The country’s most popular politician Aung San Suu Kyi is languishing in prison and its most successful political party has been dissolved. The ballot is dominated by parties perceived to be close to the military and hundreds have been arrested under a new law criminalizing obstruction, disruption and criticism of the poll.

And there are whole swaths of the country where voting will not take place, as the junta continues to battle a patchwork of ethnic rebels and pro-democracy fighters in the hilly borderlands and arid central plains.

What’s happening in Myanmar’s civil war as military stages elections?

North Korea’s Kim oversees test launch of long-range cruise missiles

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen a test launch of long-range strategic cruise missiles and called for the “unlimited and sustained” development of his country’s nuclear combat forces, according to state media.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Monday that Kim expressed satisfaction as the cruise missiles flew along their orbit, set above the sea west of the Korean Peninsula, and hit their target.The launch, which took place on Sunday, was the latest event Kim attended, in a flurry of activity by the North Korean leader to underscore the country’s military and economic progress before a key party congress expected to be held in early 2026.

The meeting will set a development plan for North Korea for the next five years.

Why everyone loves Japan: From fashion and pop culture to tourism and livability, Japan is surging in global appeal

In 2015, my employers at Bloomberg Opinion sent me to Japan to learn about the state of the Japanese economy. They helped me arrange many interesting discussions.

I talked to the Financial Services Agency about the new corporate governance code; to Goldman Sachs about women joining the workforce; to Foreign Ministry officials about trade treaties; to an economics professor about fiscal sustainability; and so on. But the interview that stuck in my mind for many years after was with a manager at Kodansha.

My goal for the meeting was to learn about Japan’s efforts to increase its cultural exports — something the Western press had been talking about for decades. So I was absolutely astonished when the Kodansha manager told me that his company had no strategy and no plans to increase their sales of manga and anime in overseas markets. Even more surprising was his explanation as to why. “Americans don’t want to see Asian faces,” he told me.

Built on the Past: How Edo shaped the Tokyo we know today

Tokyo may be a futuristic metropolis, but its roots run deep in the 17th century when the city was known as Edo—then one of the world’s largest urban centers, with a population of over 1 million, that flourished with commerce, entertainment, and culture. Street-side stalls serving nigiri sushi evolved into today’s counter-style dining, while former daimyo gardens and kabuki theaters took on a distinctly Edo identity that helped shape the city’s character.

Edo also faced major disasters, most notably the Great Fire of 1657 which destroyed more than half of the city. Out of these trials grew a spirit of resilience and ambition that lives on in modern initiatives such as the TOKYO Resilience Project, designed to strengthen the city’s preparedness against future natural disasters.

Centuries on, today’s Tokyo has some remnants from the imprint of Edo in the shape of its distinct neighborhoods, canals, and roads laid down by its former city planners.

Can Catholic Church and Vietnamese state finally coexist?

The survival of Catholicism in Vietnam is undoubtedly one of the most significant challenges the Church is facing in Asia today.

Introduced in the 16th century by Portuguese, Spanish, and Dominican missionaries, the Catholic Church experienced significant growth in the 17th century, driven in part by Jesuit missionary activity, among which Alexandre de Rhodes emerged as a particularly influential figure.De Rhodes contributed to the creation of the romanized Vietnamese alphabet (chu Quoc ngu), which replaced traditional Chinese characters and Vietnamese-developed characters that were in use before this time.

Despite periods of tolerance, the Catholic faith was subjected to severe persecutions, especially between the 18th and 19th centuries under the Nguyen dynasty, leading to the martyrdom of tens of thousands of faithful: between 130,000 and 300,000 Catholics lost their lives, and 117 of them were canonized as Vietnamese martyrs by John Paul II in 1988.

Half a billion voters. One list. Just seven weeks to clean it up

A gargantuan task is underway to update the longest voter list in the world. This is India, and that’s nearly a billion people whose details need to be verified before they’re allowed to participate in the world’s largest democracy. Across the country, tens of thousands of civil servants are rushing to input voter details into a database, by hand. And the deadline is New Year’s Eve for India’s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh.

The last list dates from 2003 and authorities say it needs cleaning up to reflect mass migration from the countryside to the cities, the accumulation of deceased voters and to remove those on the list illegally.

Twelve states and union territories –– home to some 500 million people –– have been making updates since early November, vetting which voters can participate in the next polls.

Torbjørn Færøvik: Donald Trumps «fantastiske slagskip» vil aldri bli sjøsatt

Donald Trumps plan om å bygge en ny generasjon «fantastiske slagskip» er en drøm som aldri vil bli virkelighet. Den springer ut av nostalgi og storhetsvanvidd, ikke av realisme og moden overveielse. Når han lover krigsskip som skal bli «hundre ganger mer slagkraftige enn dagens», beveger han seg inn i et retorisk univers hvor uvirkelige tall erstatter nøkterne analyser.

Fem dager etter at Trump lanserte planen, står militære eksperter i kø for å dømme den nord og ned.

«Det er ingen grunn til å diskutere dette, for disse skipene blir aldri sjøsatt», sier seniorrådgiver Mark Cancian ved Senter for strategiske og internasjonale studier i Washington D.C. Hans knusende dom får støtte av mange andre.

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Why Germany finds it so hard to handle China

2025 exposed Germany's dependence on China, as a source of rare earths and a market and production site for its industry. Berlin says it wants to "de-risk" the relationship. But is it serious? Or is it in too deep? Richard Walker sat down with experts Noah Barkin and Clifford Coonan to analyze Germany's options.

Cambodia Counts the Costs of Its Border Conflict with Thailand

More than two weeks into renewed frontier fighting between Thailand and Cambodia, Thai air sorties and Cambodian BM-21 rockets continue to cross the border, exacting a mounting military toll that Phnom Penh has so far kept largely out of public view.

The imbalance between the two militaries had been evident even before protracted tensions this year erupted into five days of blows along the border in July, after tit-for-tat escalations following the death of a Cambodian soldier in a disputed area in May.

Thailand’s armed forces outmatch Cambodia in size, firepower, and air capability, an asymmetry that Cambodian officials often cite in branding Thailand the “aggressor,” particularly as Thai strikes reach deeper into Cambodian territory.

China sealing Hainan customs borders to make full free trade port

Beijing has moved to seal Hainan’s customs borders and turn the island into a full-fledged free trade port (FTP), a move that has sharply divided Chinese and overseas analysts over its economic and geopolitical implications.

Under the new framework, the Hainan FTP will implement arrangements for zero tariffs as part of island-wide special customs operations. Manufacturers operating in Hainan will be able to import raw materials tariff-free. At the same time, products that meet a 30% local value-added threshold will be allowed to enter the Chinese mainland without tariffs.

The scheme, which kicked off on December 18, also expands Hainan’s role as a duty-free shopping hub. Luxury goods will be sold tax-free to any Hainan or foreign consumer who can show a record of overseas travel within the previous 12 months, subject to an annual spending cap of 100,000 yuan (about US$14,000) per person. That will extend policies that in the past applied mainly to travelers leaving Hainan for the Chinese mainland.

Thailand and Cambodia sign truce to halt fierce border conflict

Thailand and Cambodia agreed on Saturday to halt weeks of fierce border clashes, the worst fighting in years between the Southeast Asian countries that has included fighter-jet sorties, exchange of rocket fire and artillery barrages.

“Both sides agree to maintain current troop deployments without further movement,” their defense ministers said in a joint statement on the ceasefire, to take effect at noon local time (midnight, ET).

“Any reinforcement would heighten tensions and negatively affect long-term efforts to resolve the situation,” according to the statement released on social media by Cambodia’s Defense Ministry.

The agreement, signed by Thai Defense Minister Natthaphon Narkphanit and his Cambodian counterpart Tea Seiha, ended 20 days of fighting that has killed at least 101 people and displaced more than half a million on both sides.

Myanmar election: military seeks legitimacy amid war, exclusion

On Sunday December 28, Myanmar goes to the polls for the first phase of its first general election since the military coup of February 1, 2021.

After several extensions, the State Administration Council, controlled by the military (Tatmadaw), lifted the state of emergency on July 31, creating a State Security and Peace Commission and a caretaker cabinet led by Prime Minister Nyo Saw, a military-aligned figure, while Senior General Min Aung Hlaing remains the commander-in-chief and acting president.

On the same day, the Union Election Commission — provisioned under 2008 Constitution and set up under UEC Law of 2010 — was reconstituted to set this election process in motion. The plan now is to complete general elections by January 25, 2026, to form a civilian government before completing four years of military rule and, once again, start Myanmar’s piecemeal process of democratization.

But, given that ASEAN has refused to send observers for these elections, their credibility already stands undermined. By official admission, these elections will not take place in 15% of constituencies.

Japan's growing engagement with Taiwan angers China

China has condemned a visit by a group of senior Japanese politicians to Taiwan as another example of Tokyo meddling in internal affairs. Beijing is ramping up accusations that Japan is swerving back to the militarism that led to catastrophic conflict across the Asia-Pacific region in the early decades of the last century.

Tensions between the two East Asian powers have been rising after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi responded to a question in parliament last month by saying that any "contingency" involving Taiwan would also inevitably threaten the national security of Japan.

Beijing claims the island is part of China and insists it will be "reunited" with the mainland, by force if necessary. The pressure on Taiwan has increased in recent years and there are growing fears that China will attempt to seize the island.

Analysts say that successive Japanese governments have long held the same position on the Taiwan situation, but not previously stated it. The more forthright Takaichi, however, has been more explicit and is incurring Beijing's wrath.

North Korea reveals new images of its first ‘nuclear-powered’ submarine

North Korea on Thursday released new images of what it claims is its first nuclear-powered submarine, a massive vessel equal in size to some of the United States Navy’s attack subs. The pictures released by state media showed leader Kim Jong Un inspecting the guided-missile submarine at an indoor construction facility, indicating it has not yet been launched.

Building a nuclear-powered submarine has been a long-held goal for Kim, who first discussed it at a ruling party congress in 2021, but the fact its rival, South Korea, has recently being given the blessing of the Trump administration to pursue its own nuclear-powered subs appears to have added urgency to Kim’s plans.