China has been at the center of international investment strategies for U.S. businesses for many years, but times change. A series of U.S. tariffs on China's goods and services is creating a chain reaction of realignment of investment strategies. In all fairness, it is not just the tariffs triggering supply chain changes. It is the sum of many factors, including the growing economic strength of emerging economies, increasing wage rates in developing economies like China, and a desire on the part of businesses to lower risks in markets that seem to be in constant turmoil. What the U.S. tariffs have done is make U.S. businesses aware of the fact that relying too heavily on a single country is a risky strategy because things can change in a heartbeat.

In what some call the "China Plus" strategy, businesses are looking for ways to spread the risk, and emerging economies are getting serious consideration as targets for Foreign Direct Investment and imports/exports of goods and ...