Reframing the China Supply Chain Issue

I read the ‘2025 Outdoor Small Business Benchmarking Study‘ Founded Outdoors created in partnership with REI Co-op’s Path Ahead Ventures today and in it I stumbled over a phrasing I had come across several times now in reports on American supply chain challenges:

This heavy reliance on China increases exposure to disruptions such as tariffs, political tensions, and natural disasters, making geographic diversification a critical strategy for long-term industry stability. The outdoor industry could take a more active role in identifying and sharing information on alternative factories and sourcing options to help brands reduce dependency on China and build more diversified supply chains.

The above paragraph is from their executive summary report, which you can download for free, but this particular sentiment I have read now several times: The “reliance on China” is the issue.

But that’s not fully correct, now is it. China has not created these issues for your business. And if you diversify the supply chain – as the report suggests – you might get lucky for a moment, but you’re still gambling.

Here in the US of A we live for the first time, in a system that’s subject to the whim of a president who believes to be a king. When you’re aiming to shore up your business against uncertainties beyond your control and headwinds I think it’s worth acknowledging who breaks the wind – you’re welcome for that pun.