trade - Adjacent

Jun 23

China's Export Blacklist Exposes Limits of Unilateral AI Controls

Source: AI Governance, Ethics and Leadership

China's targeting of 56 US companies in retaliation for semiconductor export restrictions shows that supply chain restrictions trigger escalation, not compliance. When one nation cuts off access to critical inputs, competitors build alternatives and domestic capacity instead. The result is a fragmented global AI stack, where companies must choose location over technology. Frontier AI development is already shifting as a result, and access to the global AI economy is narrowing by jurisdiction.

theme-commerce supply chain trade agricultural markets

May 3

China's Agricultural Pivot Threatens Global Food Supply Chains

Source: Chartbook

As China shifts from net food exporter to importer—driven by urbanization, dietary upgrades, and environmental constraints—it is creating demand shocks across commodity markets. Western agribusiness faces a buyer with far more leverage than it held in 2000. The competition extends beyond pricing to control of food security infrastructure. China is acquiring land and supply routes across Africa and Southeast Asia while Western consolidators remain domestically focused. American and European ag-tech incumbents that assumed perpetual market access now confront a state-backed competitor with scale advantages and no stake in preserving the current market structure.