ASPI Strategist this week released a new commentary arguing that China is building legal tools to treat supply chain knowledge as a strategic asset, using new regulations to control who can collect, use, and act on that information.
The commentary states that Australia needs a practical economic security framework that helps firms navigate conflict-of-laws scenarios and recognises that the next phase of economic security will centre on controlling access to supply chain knowledge, not just production and trade.
Quote from the commentary:
Australian firms now face a growing conflict-of-laws challenge. Companies operating across multiple jurisdictions increasingly confront overlapping compliance obligations. A business may need to simultaneously satisfy US forced-labour requirements; EU due-diligence regulations; Australian modern slavery expectations; defence-industry assurance requirements; export-control obligations; and economic, social and governance reporting standards.
Read the full commentary: There's value in supply chain knowledge — China wants to control it