The Quad’s critical minerals framework correctly identifies supply-chain vulnerabilities but remains too focused on extraction rather than the processing capacity, market mechanisms, and industrial coordination that underpinned China’s strategic dominance.
Tag: ASPI Strategist
Posted inThink Tank News
ASPI: Nakamal not quite the deal Australia wanted
The finalised Australia-Vanuatu Nakamal Agreement, while securing some important commitments, appears to be a watered-down version of the deal Australia originally sought, with weaker provisions on third-party security arrangements and policing.
Posted inThink Tank News
ASPI: As Trump restricts AI, Australia needs options
As the United States increasingly treats advanced AI models as guarded national assets subject to export controls, Australia risks being locked out of cutting-edge technology that will determine its economic, social, and security future.
Posted inThink Tank News
ASPI: China wants to control supply chain knowledge
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.
Posted inThink Tank News
ASPI: China is teaching Australia an economic power lesson
China’s creation of a coordinated iron ore purchasing body (CMRG) demonstrates that economic power increasingly resides with those who organise demand, not merely those who own resources.