What is a China-plus-one strategy?

China-plus-one means keeping some sourcing in China while adding a second country to diversify supply-chain risk, shorten lead times to key markets, or reduce tariff exposure. Common "plus-one" options for European buyers include Ukraine and the wider EU neighbourhood.

How does the weighted decision matrix work?

You give each criterion a weight (1–5) for how much it matters and a score (1–5) for how well each origin performs. The tool multiplies weight by score, sums across criteria, then divides by total weight to give a 0–5 weighted average per origin — and names the leader.

Does the tool decide which country is better?

No. Every score and weight is set by you and the defaults are deliberately neutral. The result reflects your own judgement and priorities, not an objective ranking of any country or supplier.

China+1 vs Ukraine Sourcing Comparator

Diversifying your supply chain? Use this weighted decision matrix to compare two sourcing origins across the factors that actually drive the choice — tariff exposure, lead time and proximity to the EU, MOQ flexibility, quality and certifications, communication, and supply-chain risk. Set your own scores and weights to get a transparent, shareable verdict.

Illustrative — edit with your own figures. The starting scores and weights are neutral placeholders, not a ranking of any country or supplier. Rename the origins and set each score (1–5) and weight from your own due diligence.

Origin A nameOrigin B name

Criterion	Weight (1–5)	Ukraine	Asia
Tariff / duty exposureLower duties into your market score higher.
Lead time & proximity to EUShorter, more reliable transit scores higher.
MOQ flexibilityWillingness to run small/short batches.
Quality & certificationsCE/ISO, audits, defect track record.
Communication & time zoneOverlap with your working hours, responsiveness.
Supply-chain riskGeopolitical, logistics and continuity risk.

Weighted score (0–5 average)

Ukraine3

Asia3

It's a tie on these weights and scores. Adjust the criteria that matter most to your business to break the deadlock.

Criterion-by-criterion

UkraineAsia

How the score is calculated

Each criterion has a weight (1–5) reflecting how much it matters to you, and a score (1–5) for each origin reflecting how well it performs.

The weighted total is Σ(weight × score), then divided by the sum of weights to give an intuitive 0–5 weighted average per origin. This is a structured way to compare options — it reflects your judgement, not an objective ranking of any country.

Choosing your “plus one”

A China-plus-one strategy spreads risk by adding a second sourcing country alongside existing Chinese suppliers. The right choice depends on what your business values most: some buyers prioritise the shortest, most resilient lead times, others optimise for tariff treatment or for the flexibility to run smaller batches. For European importers, Ukraine offers geographic proximity, a deep manufacturing base and preferential trade access under the EU–Ukraine free-trade area.

This comparator makes the trade-offs explicit. Rather than a gut decision, you weight each criterion by importance and score each origin honestly — then see a weighted total and a radar profile. Once you have a shortlist, run the numbers through our sourcing TCO calculator to compare true landed costs side by side.

Related trade tools

Sourcing TCO CalculatorLanded cost & total cost of ownership Ukraine Trade StatisticsTop exports, EU trade & destinations Trade RelationshipsCountry-by-country intelligence

This comparator is provided for planning and educational purposes by Made in Ukraine, an independent Ukrainian nonprofit. Scores and weights are your own; results reflect your inputs and are not an endorsement or ranking of any country or supplier.