In a matter of weeks Governor Bev Perdue will travel to Asia along with a group of commerce leaders.

The trip, which is October 14 through Oct. 27, also coincides with an annual meeting of organizations in Japan and southeastern states in the United States.

Perdue said the trip to China and Japan is critical to enhance trade and investment opportunities.

"This trip is about building and sustaining relationships that create jobs for North Carolinians," said Gov. Perdue in a press release. "Doing business with Japan and China results in $3.6 billion a year in trade, jobs for 20,000 North Carolinians and more than $200 million in foreign direct investment. Asian trade and investment represent significant growth opportunities for our state - especially in an economic downturn."

But, that economic downturn has also affected the state budget. The trip will cost the state $82,000 and another $90,000 will be picked up by private sources.

North Carolina's Secretary of Commerce Keith Crisco, who is also going on the trip, said they're being conscious of cost but the state can't afford not to go.

"Doing nothing is not an option. You can't stop working on building jobs and this is a source of jobs," Crisco said.

Representative Paul Stam, (R-Wake) has been critical of state spending, but said he's ok with the trip as long as it's productive.

"Hopefully they will have lined up business that will re-pay us for that," Stam said.

Crisco said China is the state's second largest trading partner and Japan is the fourth. More than 160 Japanese and Chinese companies already have a commanding presence in North Carolina like computer giant Lenovo. In May, RTP's Hamner Institutes and China-Medical City sealed a deal to create an Institute for International Drug Development.

Crisco said the upcoming trip to Asia is critical to maintaining those relationships and building new ones.

"I think in the next years, our success will be very much dependent on the type of relationships we have and the type of communication we have with Asian countries," Crisco said.

Asia has become such a big player that in August, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler took a trip to China trying to sell tobacco, soybeans and cotton. A spokesman said they already have sales leads.

The official delegation will be small, including Perdue, Crisco, the governor's economic and business adviser and three other Commerce Department leaders. Perdue's office said first gentleman Bob Eaves won't travel on the state's dime and Crisco said his wife will pay her own way. Business leaders will travel to the region on their own.

In China, the delegation will go to Beijing and Shanghai, visit businesses and meet with trade and government officials. The state also will hold seminars for Chinese businesses interested in the state's life sciences and automotive fields.

China/Japan and North Carolina

Recent Japan-related economic development announcements in North Carolina include expansions by Toshiba America Nuclear Energy Corp. in Charlotte and GE Hitachi in Wilmington, totaling more than 1,000 new jobs and $708 million in investment. In 2007, Honda Aero and Honda Aerospace announced new projects creating 300 jobs and investing $127 million in the Triad.

In May, the Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park announced an agreement with China Medical City to create the Hamner-China Medical City Institute for International Drug Development. The institute will help produce new biomedical technologies that benefit the U.S. and the People's Republic of China, as well as the rest of the world. The Hamner Institutes will partner with Commerce to hold life-science business seminars in Beijing and Shanghai.

More than 150 Japanese companies operate in all parts of North Carolina, providing well-paying, sustainable jobs for 18,000 people in the state in a wide range of industry sectors from information technology, telecommunications and electronics to life sciences, chemicals, automotive and aviation, Crisco noted. In 2008, Japan imported $1.7 billion worth of North Carolina goods, making it the state's fourth-largest trading partner.

A dozen Chinese companies in North Carolina provide jobs for 2,500 people, with many more companies poised to make investment in the U.S. market. China's rapid growth and desire to invest overseas have prompted many states to compete for this business. In 2008, China imported $1.9 billion worth of North Carolina goods, making it the state's second-largest trade partner after Canada and representing a 250 percent increase over the past three years.

China has a major presence in the U.S. through the international personal-computer manufacturer Lenovo, with U.S. operations located in the Research Triangle.

Overseas business development activities in Europe and Asia have contributed significantly to North Carolina's economic growth. In June, Crisco led a business development trip to Europe that included meetings with Deutsche Bank and Continental Teves - both of which have since announced major investments in the state totaling $36.8 million and 600 jobs.

Trip Itinerary

Oct. 14-17 Travel to Tokyo, Japan

· Economic development visits in Nagoya

Oct. 18-20 SEUS/Japan, Tokyo

· Economic development visits in Tokyo

Oct. 21-27 Travel to Beijing

· Meetings with trade and government officials

· Economic development visits in Beijing

· Seminars for Chinese businesses on N.C. Life Sciences, Automotive Industries

Travel to Shanghai

· Meetings with trade and government officials

· Economic development visits in Shanghai

· Seminars for Chinese businesses on N.C. Life Sciences Industries-with the Hamner Institutes

Oct. 27-28 Return to North Carolina