I had a new GE 13W Biax lamp that often blinked for about a minute before starting the first several times it was switched on. It works fine now, however. Maybe yours will be OK if you let it run for a while.
If it was made in China, Ott-Lite may have changed suppliers. My
13W Ott-Lite (on the bottom right) was made in Thailand and was probably made by Philips. Does your lamp have a Philips design, where the two tubes do not connect with a bend at the top, but are bridged just before the end of the tubes?