The Open-League Model for Resilient, Efficient, and Sustainable (REES) Clean-Tech Supply Chains
Xunpeng Shi
University of Technology Sydney
April 2026
IExecutive Summary
Global clean‑technology supply chains have become highly concentrated, especially in China. This monocentric structure has driven historic cost declines but also created fragility, inequity and geopolitical friction. Current diversification efforts risk fragmenting markets into rival blocs – raising costs, slowing decarbonisation and locking in inefficiency.
This policy brief argues for a third way: REES supply chains – Resilient, Efficient, Equitable and Sustainable. It proposes the Open‑League model, where multiple regional hubs compete under shared standards, reciprocal access, transparent traceability and coordinated resilience. The model is open: any hub meeting the common rulebook can join.
China would shift from scale‑based dominance to legitimacy‑based leadership – co‑investing overseas, licensing technologies and co‑developing rules. The EU would lead on standards; the US on innovation; Japan/Korea on quality manufacturing; emerging and resource‑rich economies on new hubs and value‑added processing.
Licensed manufacturing offers a bridge between full transfer and decoupling, building parallel capacity while preserving intellectual property.
Key outcomes if adopted:
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Lower systemic risk through interconnected hubs
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Preserved cost efficiency via competition under shared rules
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Broader participation for developing countries
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Reduced geopolitical friction through rules‑based interdependence
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Faster global decarbonisation by avoiding costly fragmentation
Policy asks: plurilateral compacts, harmonised product passports, finance for emerging economies, resilience mechanisms without permanent protectionism.
The Open‑League model turns clean‑tech supply chains from zero‑sum arenas into shared, shock‑tolerant systems that accelerate the energy transition.
Click the link below for the full policy brief: Policy Brief-2026 No2
