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Comment by e40 | Hacker News Reader

Over the last few months we've seen announcements of shifts from US-based supply chains to non-US-supply chains. As an American, I think this is prudent, based on what has happened in the last year and change. The US is no longer a reliable partner and this is what you do when that happens.

100 years from now, the last 15 months will be written about in no uncertain terms: this administration has loaded many footguns and pulled the trigger, over ideologies which are just plain stupid. "America First" indeed. Soft power is power. "Forever" wars are wars we shouldn't be in. Retribution by POTUS acting like a 5 year old is disgusting no matter what party that person came from.

It will take decades to recover from what has and will happen during this administration's run. Let's hope the power they have ends in November 2026 and not Nov 2028.

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> no longer a reliable partner

That's putting it mildly. Threatening to invade allies justifies stronger words.

Look around you. What products do you own with a US supply chain and what has a Chinese supply chain.

Supply chains are not just components, but things like military planes. See referenced article.

Guess the people writing on HN here don't have Mac's, iPhones or iPads or use whatever the watches are called.

The supply chain for apple products is almost entirely Chinese. From BOE displays to PCBs and passive. Then assembled in China.

Do you have a point?

Saying that products with US based supply chains are rare does not somehow detract from the point of moving away from the ones that still exist.

And they do exist, just not for consumers, or at least not at a price most people are willing to pay.

The point is that focusing on a rare us supply chain obscures the bigger picture.

It sounds like you're obscuring the point by muddying the water here.

I don't understand either of your points tbh

How exactly is that related to their point about nations moving to alternative supply chains away from US based ones? They're saying the administrations actions are counterproductive, and driving away both money and influence from their allies.

And yes, most consumer goods from everywhere come from a Chinese supply chain ... but we're not talking about consumer goods here. We're talking in this case about military purchases. There aren't many western countries buying military hardware from China.

The supply chain of relevance is the critical software, infrastructure to run it, and ability to remotely kill it if an ally stops being an ally.

Nobody cares if their dollar store trinket was made overseas. And nobody would buy it if it was made in America because that same trinket would cost 5x.

People barely even care about their privacy these days, it seems.

But governments still seem to care about their military independence in the rare event they are at odds with an ally.

Maybe the insanely expensive ($400 +, for no good reason) kitchen mixers?

Though, one can buy inexpensive chinese ones if one knows where to look.

I wish I shared your optimism that this will end with a vote.

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