Masters Insights Blog
China's Long Game versus 90 More Days of Tariff Uncertainty for the U.S.
Published in the Weekly News Digest – 10 April 2025
Inside This Week's Episode
In this week’s Masters of Supply Chain News Digest, John Church sat down with Tony Milando, former Chief Supply Chain Officer at Xylem, to unpack the latest tariff developments — and why the next 90 days might feel like an eternity for US-based companies.
While the US administration has paused new reciprocal tariffs for 90 days, uncertainty remains high.
China is playing the long game — thinking in decades while many US companies are focused on managing quarterly earnings.
This episode dives into how supply chain leaders should navigate this environment, why communication across the supply base is more critical than ever, and how capabilities like dynamic pricing models and data-driven risk management are separating leaders from laggards.
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Episode Key Takeaways
1. China is Thinking Decades Ahead — The US is Focused on 90 Days
“China thinks in decades. The US thinks in quarters.” — Tony Milando
Tony Milando emphasized that China has leverage — not just through tariffs but also through long-term strategies like export controls on rare earth minerals and strengthening ties with the EU.
Meanwhile, US companies are stuck in a 90-day decision loop, waiting for clarity that may never fully come.
2. Supply Chain Leadership is About Transparency and Agility
“It takes a village to solve this.” — Tony Milando
Tony stressed the need for open communication across suppliers and customers.
Best-in-class companies have already invested in:
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Transparent pricing models tied to commodity costs
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Faster pricing execution — moving from quarters to weeks
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Strong supplier relationships that enable shared problem-solving
3. Dynamic Pricing and AI Tools Will Define Future Winners
“The companies that built these capabilities during COVID are ahead of the game now.” — John Church
John and Tony discussed how supply chain leaders need to be ready to model costs, risks, and price changes in near real-time.
AI will play a role — but only if companies have done the hard work of:
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Harmonizing data across systems
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Building clean, governed datasets
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Aligning commercial teams to act on insights
4. The Wait-and-See Game Continues
“We’re not changing supply chains overnight — it takes years, not weeks.” — Tony Milando
Despite the temptation to act fast, John and Tony recommend caution around major structural changes like reshoring or building new manufacturing capacity.
Why?
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Tariffs could change again
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Building new supply chains takes years
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Future administrations may reverse current policies
Final Thoughts
The message from this week’s conversation is clear:
→ Invest in data-driven decision-making
→ Strengthen your supplier and customer relationships
→ Build the capability to act fast — without making knee-jerk moves
China is playing the long game. US companies need to be ready for both short-term agility and long-term resilience.
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