After Trump was re-elected president, the balance of power between the USA and China has changed. Torbjørn Færøvik looks at how China, often referred to as the Middle Kingdom, relates to the USA and Europe now. At the same time, he believes that America's political situation is gradually becoming more uncertain, while China is trying to find its way back to a new era of greatness.

In 2024, a revised edition of Færøvik's book *Midtens rike* was released, and much has changed since the book was first published. China is in the process of becoming a superpower, both economically and militarily, and the USA's dominant position is being challenged. At the same time, it is not a given that China will be able to measure up to the USA. The lecture questions whether this could be the start of a new cold war, and how the Chinese view their relationship with the USA and Europe.

Færøvik also takes the audience through China's history and its relationship with the West.

Torbjørn Færøvik (born 1948) is a journalist, historian and author, and is considered one of Norway's foremost China experts. He has received the Brage Prize three times for his books on China and India.