North Carolina’s China syndrome

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Take a wild guess.  WHAT is North Carolina’s top export?  (For bonus points, WHAT nation is the recipient of that exported product?)

You might think tobacco or some other agricultural product.

According to data from the US International Trade Administration, our state’s top export is Chemicals.  Businesses in our state ship out about $4.3 BILLION a year to The People’s Republic of China.   That’s an awful lot of North Carolina jobs — an awful lot of economic activity — that can be affected by, say, sanctions against, or a crisis with, China. 

By comparison, Virginia exports nearly $1.8 billion per year in minerals to India.

South Carolina exports nearly $3.8 billion in transportation equipment each year to Germany.  (Surely, that has a lot to do with the massive BMW operations around Greenville.)  The Palmetto State is one of four US states where transportation equipment  to Germany is the top export. 

Tennessee exports a little more than $2 billion in transportation equipment to Canada. 

Washington state businesses also have a healthy relationship with China.  They export nearly $10.6 billion in agricultural products to the PRC.    Michigan businesses send nearly $15.4 billion in transportation equipment each year to China.

Oregon businesses send nearly $6.3 billion per year in computers & electronics to China.