December 13, 2023

The Quad’s Role in Shifting to Resilient Technology Supply Chains and Energy Security

Supply chain disruptions during the Covid-19 pandemic, combined with intensifying US-China technology competition, have placed the development of secure and resilient technology supply chains at the top of the Quad agenda. Quad nations have experienced the negative results of China’s aggressive industrial policies aimed at establishing Beijing’s economic and technological dominance in the Indo-Pacific and coercing other nations to support Chinese security and foreign policy objectives.

Semiconductor technology has become a focal point in the US-China technology race.

The vulnerability of global supply chains that run through China became evident during the Covid-19 pandemic when China sought to coerce nations that were dependent on Chinese medical equipment, medication, and pharmaceutical ingredients. Japan had experienced Chinese economic coercion long before the pandemic, particularly in 2010, when Beijing suspended exports of rare earths to Tokyo over a maritime dispute.2 In 2020, China reduced imports of coal, barley, wine, and other products from Australia after Canberra called for an independent investigation into the origins of Covid-19.

Read the full article from ADU National Security College.

  • Commentary

    Indo-Pacific Security

    Does the Quad Still Matter?

    Under the second Trump administration, some analysts have expressed growing pessimism about the group’s effectiveness, given the president’s apparent lack of interest in atten...

    By Lisa Curtis

    • War on the Rocks
    • June 2, 2026
  • Reports

    Indo-Pacific Security

    Thwarting Communications Blackout

    Executive Summary Control over the physical means of transmitting information—the lifeblood of modern societies—has become a central area of contestation between Taiwan and th...

    By Jacob Stokes & Ryan Claffey

    • May 28, 2026
  • Video

    Indo-Pacific Security

    Pakistan’s Growing Regional Role

    Pakistan’s regional role is expanding — but what does it mean for the Middle East, the United States, and the Indo-Pacific? In a new MBN Digital Salon, Jeffrey Gedmin discusse...

    By Lisa Curtis

    • May 28, 2026
  • Commentary

    Indo-Pacific Security

    Japan’s Point of No Return

    But if Washington treats a stronger Japan as a true partner and keeps it firmly within its alliance system, American influence in Asia will be greater than ever....

    By Daisuke Kawai

    • Foreign Affairs
    • May 27, 2026

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia