58% of Chinese supply chain execs to diversify sourcing: DP World

China’s procurement model is becoming less concentrated

The DP World report, cited by STAT Times, is based on a survey of 292 supply chain and logistics executives in China. It found that supplier diversification ranked above near-shoring operations, cited by 38% of respondents, friend-shoring operations at 36%, and increasing inventories at 32%. Only around a quarter of Chinese supply chain leaders plan to outsource operations or decrease inventories.

The financial signal is straightforward. Chinese firms are not simply cutting exposure; they are adding optionality. Wider supplier networks, additional sourcing locations and higher regional flexibility give companies more room to respond to tariff changes, non-tariff barriers and shifts in customer demand. For Bangladesh’s exporters, logistics providers and industrial policymakers, this is the relevant opening: diversification by Chinese firms can create new supplier relationships, but only where reliability, customs performance and delivery discipline are credible.

The report also notes that resilience is being treated less as a defensive cost and more as a growth strategy. That distinction is material. If supplier diversification becomes embedded in corporate planning, it may affect sourcing decisions across apparel, components, consumer goods and adjacent manufacturing chains over more than one procurement cycle.

Trade confidence remains high, but the risk map is shifting

Chinese executives surveyed by DP World remain comparatively optimistic about global trade. The report says 43% expect global trade growth to accelerate in 2026, while 50% expect it to remain at levels similar to 2025. Only 42% described policy uncertainty as high, below the global average of 53%.

That confidence is not the same as complacency. The report says Chinese executives were the most confident globally in their ability to navigate trade barriers: 35% said changes in tariffs and non-tariff barriers would have a positive impact on their businesses, while 26% anticipated a negative effect. DP World links this to China’s diversification of export markets and greater focus on South-South trade corridors, including ASEAN countries and Africa.

For Bangladesh, the implication is competitive rather than diplomatic. If trade flows continue to tilt toward broader regional and partner-country networks, the country’s value proposition will be judged against other sourcing locations on execution: port and customs efficiency, supplier depth, financing access and the ability to integrate into digitally managed supply chains. The report identifies customs clearance as China’s most significant operational bottleneck despite investment in smart customs programmes and digital border infrastructure; that is a reminder that border processes remain a core variable in trade competitiveness, not an administrative footnote.

The report also flags recent disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz as an added source of uncertainty for global supply chains, particularly because more than 30% of China’s oil and liquefied natural gas imports transit through the corridor. For import-dependent manufacturers in Bangladesh, energy-linked logistics volatility remains a cost factor to monitor, even when the immediate disruption is outside South Asia.

Technology is moving from support function to trade infrastructure

The strongest growth driver in the DP World survey is technology. Half of respondents identified deploying artificial intelligence as their leading business priority over the next one to three years, followed by digitalisation at 44%, demand from new markets and consumers at 43%, and new value chains at 34%. Policy priorities were similarly operational: trade facilitation ranked at 40%, free trade agreements at 39%, and digitalisation and connectivity support at 38%.

This aligns with a wider pattern across supply chains. Pulse 2.0 separately reported that Fleek, a technology company focused on the global secondhand clothing supply chain, raised $25 million in Series B funding to expand an AI-powered platform for used apparel. Its marketplace connects verified wholesalers and retailers, while its AI tools identify, grade and price garments using smartphone photos. The case is outside Bangladesh, but the institutional point is relevant: even fragmented, labour-intensive trade segments are being pulled toward data-led grading, pricing and verification.

The same logic extends into electronics, connected devices and consumer technology markets, where procurement visibility and component availability shape product cycles; readers tracking smart home and lifestyle technology should treat supply-chain diversification as part of the cost and availability equation, not merely as a boardroom theme.

For Bangladesh, the immediate task is not to infer automatic gains from China’s diversification agenda. The more disciplined reading is narrower: global buyers and Chinese firms are widening their supplier maps, but they will allocate volume to markets that can reduce operational friction. The next indicators to watch are customs modernisation, trade finance access, digital connectivity in logistics, and whether local suppliers can meet the documentation, timing and quality requirements of a more distributed sourcing model.