New Book, ‘Confessions of an Outsourcer,’ Proposes Solutions to Trade Tensions With China

Timothy Brantingham’s "Confessions of an Outsourcer" offers an insider’s view of US-China trade, tariffs and globalization.

CHARLESTON, SC, UNITED STATES, May 26, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Asian trade authority Timothy Brantingham explores the precarious trade relations between China and the United States, and suggests how the two nations can seek common ground in his new book, "Confessions of an Outsourcer: An Insider Examines the Openings, Closings, Fortunes, and Fallout of the China Trade."

“Our aim should be to work with China as it is, negotiating where we can, defending where we must, and building rules that make mutual benefit possible,” Brantingham writes. “If we can make that shift, trade stops being a weapon and becomes a bridge.”

"Confessions of an Outsourcer," published by Advantage Books, is now available at major retailers nationwide.

Although Republicans and Democrats alike find reasons to see China as a foe and a problem, Brantingham brings a more nuanced view. He writes that he has known too many of China’s people and worked with too many of its companies to be seduced by simplistic ideas that paint China in strictly villainous strokes.

“Far too often, we are letting fringe political commentators, social media memes, and the blatantly uninformed frame the narrative for us,” Brantingham writes. “Our response to China will fail if we allow the nation to be framed as some monolithic abstraction, as an angry-face-emojied political meme, or as an Evil Empire.”

But he also acknowledges that China’s rise as an economic power has raised legitimate issues for the United States that need to be discussed as the two nations battle for trade dominance. Those include: Do the Chinese steal our intellectual property? Do Chinese state subsidies give Chinese businesses an unfair advantage? Have Chinese trade practices hollowed out the American middle class?

In addressing those and other issues, Brantingham brings to his subject decades of professional experience in supply chain economics and Asian trade. But that expertise is also informed by his personal background. The author was born and raised in Taiwan in a family that for three generations had been Quaker missionaries who made understanding China central to their careers.

Brantingham, who is fluent in Mandarin, has lived in mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan and the United States. His background helps him see the world — and trade — differently than many Americans, especially when it comes to China.

“America stands at a crossroads,” Brantingham writes. “We can continue on the current path, viewing every interaction with China through the lens of civilizational conflict, walling off our economies, and forcing the world to choose sides.

“Or we can choose strategic clarity: compete where we must to protect our security and vital technologies, cooperate where we can on global challenges such as climate change and pandemics, and coexist everywhere else through stable, rules-based trade that lifts both nations.”

Key Takeaways From "Confessions of an Outsourcer:"

- The United States wins by being the world’s most attractive ecosystem, not its most strident lecturer and tariff bully. That means doubling down on what made us successful: open research universities, immigration that attracts global talent, alliances built on mutual benefit rather than coercion, and markets that allow the best ideas to win regardless of where they originate.
- The goal with China should be what historians call competitive coexistence — a sustained rivalry managed through rules and institutions that prevent it from tipping into war or total disengagement.
- National security is about relationships more than it is about factories. Supply chains are not simply a network of machines and warehouses; they are a network of people tied together through transactions of trust.
- While we must compete with China where our core interests are threatened, we should also cooperate wherever interests align, especially on challenges too big for either country to solve alone.

About Timothy Brantingham
Timothy Brantingham, author of "Confessions of an Outsourcer: An Insider Examines the Openings, Closings, Fortunes, and Fallout of the China Trade," has three decades of experience in supply chain management and US-China trade. Fluent in Mandarin, Brantingham has lived and worked throughout his career in mainland China, Hong Kong and Japan, advising companies large and small on scaling operations in Asia, particularly in renewable energy and industrial manufacturing. He holds a bachelor’s degree in East Asian studies from William & Mary, a master’s degree in Buddhist studies from the University of Hong Kong and an MBA from the University of Oxford. Now based in Honolulu, Brantingham writes and speaks on US-Asia trade relations and the human stakes of globalization.

About Advantage Books
Advantage Books is an imprint of the publishing arm of Advantage Media. For two decades, Advantage Books has helped CEOs, business leaders, entrepreneurs and other professionals share their expertise and build their authority by writing a book. Over the years, Advantage has given these authors an alternative to traditional nonfiction publishing. Advantage authors are leaders who have credentials and expertise to share, combined with a strong reputation in their industry. Advantage Books provides these authors with a team of experts to assist in such areas as book concept and developmental writing, editorial and design, printing and distribution, and promotions.

Allison Vittardi
Advantage Media
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