State leaders, including Gov. Josh Stein and Labor Commissioner Luke Farley, recently traveled to Asia to promote North Carolina’s growing economy and make the case for why global companies should invest in the state.
The governor spent the past week promoting the state as the top state for investment and partnership in Japan and Taiwan. He told Council of State members at their meeting on Tuesday that the trip was an immense success.
“I had something like 30 individual meetings with businesses and three speeches to large business groups,” Stein, a Democrat, said. “Hopefully, in the coming weeks, a positive news report, but North Carolina is very well known over there. Our brand is strong internationally, and the folks know about us as being a hub of biotech, they know about us being good for business. It was very exciting, and it’s nice when you have such a great product to sell, which we have a lot of agricultural interests. People like our North Carolina sweet potatoes in Japan. So, it was a very productive and positive trip.”
The governor led a 51-person delegation — including NC Department of Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley, Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC) CEO Christopher Chung, and North Carolina business leaders — to the Southeast United States (SEUS)/Japan Annual Joint Meeting in Tokyo, Japan. North Carolina was the host Southeastern state for the past two years.
“Japan is the No. 1 source of foreign direct investment in North Carolina, both in terms of the amount of capital invested and the number of North Carolinians who go to work every day in a Japanese-owned company,” he told reporters after the meeting. “Japan is very much a place of relationship and trust, and there are a lot of companies that have existing locations that are considering expansion. There are other companies that are considering coming here fresh, and we were making the case every day.”
Stein also said that the Toyota Battery Manufacturing plant in Liberty, near Greensboro, is set to open on Nov. 12. The automaker’s total investment in the site is nearly $14 billion and is expected to create over 5,000 jobs.
The plant will feature 14 production lines, including four dedicated to supporting battery production for hybrid electric vehicles and 10 dedicated to supporting battery production for battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
The governor was also in Taiwan, where he hosted a North Carolina Business Seminar for several leading Taiwanese businesses, including Everest Textiles and Anderson Group, which have provided high-paying jobs in North Carolina through their investments. He also met with representatives of Delta Electronics, which has its regional research and development headquarters in Research Triangle Park, as well as other Taiwanese officials, including President Lai Ching-te.
Farley, who is currently in Taiwan, spoke to Council of State members via video. He is leading a North Carolina delegation on a labor and trade mission with government officials, cabinet ministers, and labor organizations to discuss why more Taiwanese businesses should be setting up shop in North Carolina.
“I’ve made sure to let them know that North Carolina is open for business and… the No. 1 state in the country for business three out of the last four years,” he said. “They may be getting tired of hearing it at this point, but I am so proud of North Carolina that I’m not going to get tired of telling them about how great it is to do business here in North Carolina.”
Farley also said he was excited to share with officials in Taiwan and Council of State members that the state has been ranked as the second-best place in the country for workplace safety by WalletHub.
“I am very excited that we have this distinction, and it’s a testament to the good work that’s been done at this department, really, over the last few decades,” he said.
North Carolina was ranked as the No. 1 state for business in 2025 by CNBC, the third time in the last four years.
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