Working through or around politics?

Chief executive Daniel Zhang said the online retailer’s policies “support American brands, retailers, small businesses and farmers”.

Looks like Alibaba wants to do what it can to prevent itself from being the next TikTok.

For many businesses today, having a supply chain that spans multiple countries in inevitable. Many times, they will be countries waging tariff wars with one another as an alternative retaliation for unrelated political disputes. This can become very costly for businesses that get caught in the crossfire to deal with that have either suppliers or clients overseas. Businesses are forced to either lose money in tariffs and other penalties, or go through the costly and cumbersome process of finding other partners, or moving operations.

In this case, US tech companies are under pressure to sever ties with Chinese partners by the state department.

When events like this occur; what do you all think is the best way for business decision makers to handle global political obstacles? Is it best to hunker down and work through while trying to change policy at home? Do you work around it by adding another middle man that is not bound by political disputes? Or should you just cut partnerships entirely to be on the political good side of your country’s government?