China has passed a new 18-point regulation granting officials power to penalize any entities threatening the nation's access to vital resources. This move elevates supply chain protection to a matter of national security amid global instability.

China has implemented a new regulation on supply chain security that hands officials the power to punish any entities deemed to threaten the country’s access to vital resources and the free flow of goods, as Beijing confronts an increasingly turbulent global outlook. The 18-point regulation – which was passed and became effective on March 31, but the full text of which was only published on Tuesday – elevates safeguarding China’s industrial and supply chains to a national security issue. The new...