North Carolina governor Bev Perdue, a Democrat, is facing criticism for an upcoming trip to China, which the governor touted Monday as an opportunity for creating jobs in the state.
The trade mission to China and Japan, includes five cities over eight days with a budget of $50,000 billed to the taxpayer, comes as Ms. Perdue said job creation in North Carolina is dependent on building economic alliances with China
“China is an emerging nation. They’ve got so many people, North Carolina has to have a relationship with them,” said Ms. Perdue.
“It sounds like a lot of money. I know it’s a lot of money. The only way to build an international trade alliance is through personal contacts,” the North Carolina Democrat added.
The bill includes travel and accommodations for Mr. Perdue and three additional state officials, including North Carolina Department of Commerce Secretary Keith Crisco. Ms. Perdue will spend eight days in Asia for business meetings and events before returning to the state. North Carolina Commerce Department officials will be in Asia for several more days to continue business meetings.
The announcement comes as Ms. Perdue stood with federal government officials Tuesday morning to announce that North Carolina received more than $600,000 to help local small businesses export products to foreign markets.
