The Architecture of Coercion: Markets and Economic Jurisdiction

Contemporary geopolitics is moving away from the perception of trade as a neutral domain, shifting the center of gravity toward markets treated as tools of jurisdiction and coercion. This article explores the concept of 'coercive architecture,' in which authoritarian states, particularly China, exploit their gatekeeping position to impose normativity and discipline economic entities. By analyzing phenomena such as vaccine diplomacy, de-risking, and the so-called Beijing Rules, the text exposes the mechanisms of internalization of political control within corporate structures. The market is no longer a space of free choice, becoming a precise apparatus for distributing rewards and punishments. The author points to the growing geopolitical risk embedded in business models and the chilling effect that forces global players to self-censor and accept new, authoritarian rules of the game in global supply chains.