Toward Decline
In minerals purchasing, China is teaching Australia a lesson on economic power
ASPI The Strategist Institutional·2026-06-08China EconomyP1: Resource SovereigntyP5: Strategic Decoupling
Why it matters
China's vertical integration of mineral purchasing through CMRG demonstrates Beijing's strategic shift from buyer-dependence to value-chain control, directly undermining Australia's assumption that geology alone guarantees resource sovereignty and export leverage. This signals erosion of Australia's Resource Sovereignty pillar and increased economic dependence on Chinese supply-chain architecture decisions, reducing strategic decoupling optionality.
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