Description
As geopolitics resurges, the importance of security considerations in international economic activities has grown. Countries are increasingly seeking to balance national security with the benefits of economic interdependence by forming geoeconomic alliances centered on supply chain security, thereby enhancing collective resilience. This paper examines this emerging trend through two case studies.
First, the Chip4 alliance, comprising the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, functions as an OPEC-like entity for the semiconductor industry. This alliance represents a new form of transnational state-owned enterprise, where multinational corporate operations are collectively coordinated by governmental coalitions. Second, the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) involves the U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and several European nations. This alliance was formed to ensure the secure and sustainable supply of critical minerals. While the Chip4 focuses on the high-tech semiconductor industry, and the MSP on critical mineral resources, both aim to reduce reliance on a single country, particularly China, thereby ensuring supply chain security amid geopolitical tensions. Both alliances face internal conflicts and differing national interests, raising questions about whether these supply chain policies can achieve their securitization goals.
Both cases illustrate the transformative impact of increasingly complex geopolitics on the global economic landscape. This paper aims to shed light on the evolving nexus between geopolitics and economic interdependence, highlighting how securitized interdependence is reshaping global economic structures.
