President Donald Trump has made much of America’s $347 billion trade deficit with China, but Bloomberg reports Louisiana has benefitted from the relationship and has the largest trade surplus of any U.S. state.
The Bayou State’s trade surplus is just shy of $7 billion, due largely agricultural exports to China. Trade is expected to be a key topic of conversation when Trump meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday.
Along with Louisiana, Washington, Oregon, Alabama, Alaska, South Carolina, West Virginia and Montana also have trade surpluses with China, Bloomberg Intelligence’s Michael McDonough and Tom Orlik found.
Washington has the nation’s second largest trade surplus with China, at between $4 and $5 billion, with the aerospace industry accounting for the bulk of its exports.
Five states—California, Texas, Illinois, Tennessee and New York—account for $220 billion of the U.S.’s total trade deficit with China.
