Why China Matters to Texas
Texas’ trade volume with China is significantly higher than that of other Heartland states. The $22 billion in goods exports to China in 2022 was more than double its yearly average from 2008-2017. Much of this surge may be attributed to the increase in oil & gas exporting made possible by numerous recent deals over the past few years such as the Cheniere Energy and PetroChina contract for 1.8 MTPA (million tons per annum) for a period of 24 years. In the 2022/2023 school year, an estimated 9,852 Chinese students studied in Texas contributing an estimated $583 million to the state’s economy. Texas is also home to one of the largest Chinatowns in the United States. The first Chinese to arrive in Texas did so in 1870 to build the Houston and Texas Central Railroad, and then again in 1881 to build the Southern Pacific Railroad. China’s Trina Solar, one of the world’s largest solar panel makers, has announced it will build a 5 gigawatt solar panel factory in Wilmer, Texas. The $200 million facility will be more than 1 million square feet in size and will create 1,500 local jobs. However, negativity towards China is growing among the state’s politicians, evident in the Texas State Senate Bill S.B 147, which aimed to restrict land ownership for Chinese citizens. A watered-down version of the bill reached the House of Representatives before dying out due to protests from Asian American communities and various groups. Governor Greg Abbott also banned TikTok on government devices amid security concerns over Chinese government access to sensitive information.
Texas’ trade volume with China is significantly higher than that of other Heartland states. The $22 billion in goods exports to China in 2022 was more than double its yearly average from 2008-2017.
To say that international trade is critical to Texas does the state a disservice, as Texas has led the nation in exports for 17 years, and is also a major importing state. Thus, disruptions in global supply chains and those caused by tariffs are especially felt in the Lone State. As they say, everything is bigger in Texas; the state imports more steel and aluminum than any other, and therefore has felt the biggest impact from U.S.’ global tariffs. Texas’ total exports to China fell by 34% between 2018 and 2019.
Much of this surge may be attributed to the increase in oil & gas exporting made possible by numerous recent deals over the past few years such as the Cheniere Energy and PetroChina contract for 1.8 MTPA (million tons per annum) for a period of 24 years.
Cheniere Energy, headquartered in Texas and the largest U.S. exporter of LNG (liquefied natural gas) made several deals with Chinese companies in 2021, and in 2022 signed its largest deal with PetroChina Co. Ltd. for 1.8 MTPA (million tons per annum) for a period of 24 years supplied from its to-be-expanded Corpus Christi terminal in South Texas. China’s ban on cryptocurrency has many Chinese bitcoin entrepreneurs heading for Texas, with the Lone Star state capable of meeting the energy demands for mining. COVID-19-related shut down of Tesla’s Shanghai production factory led to the opening of a new Gigafactory in Austin. Yet it is not all smiles and handshakes; in 2021 Texas adopted a law banning all contracts in the state with foreign-owned companies related to critical infrastructure, listing “hostile nations” such as China, with some talk of divestment. Texas currently has an estimated $9.12 billion invested in China.
China’s Trina Solar, one of the world’s largest solar panel makers, has announced it will build a 5 gigawatt solar panel factory in Wilmer, Texas. The $200 million facility will be more than 1 million square feet in size and will create 1,500 local jobs. However, negativity towards China is growing among the state’s politicians, evident in the Texas State Senate Bill S.B 147, which aimed to restrict land ownership for Chinese citizens. A watered-down version of the bill reached the House of Representatives before dying out due to protests from Asian American communities and various groups. Governor Greg Abbott also banned TikTok on government devices amid security concerns over Chinese government access to sensitive information.
In the 2022/2023 school year, an estimated 9,852 Chinese students studied in Texas contributing an estimated $583 million to the state’s economy.
This data and content is updated periodically. The most recent update was January 2024.
Texas’ trade volume with China is significantly higher than that of other Heartland states. The $22 billion in goods exports to China in 2022 was more than double its yearly average from 2008-2017. Much of this surge may be attributed to the increase in oil & gas exporting made possible by numerous recent deals over the past few years such as the Cheniere Energy and PetroChina contract for 1.8 MTPA (million tons per annum) for a period of 24 years. In the 2022/2023 school year, an estimated 9,852 Chinese students studied in Texas contributing an estimated $583 million to the state’s economy. Texas is also home to one of the largest Chinatowns in the United States. The first Chinese to arrive in Texas did so in 1870 to build the Houston and Texas Central Railroad, and then again in 1881 to build the Southern Pacific Railroad. China’s Trina Solar, one of the world’s largest solar panel makers, has announced it will build a 5 gigawatt solar panel factory in Wilmer, Texas. The $200 million facility will be more than 1 million square feet in size and will create 1,500 local jobs. However, negativity towards China is growing among the state’s politicians, evident in the Texas State Senate Bill S.B 147, which aimed to restrict land ownership for Chinese citizens. A watered-down version of the bill reached the House of Representatives before dying out due to protests from Asian American communities and various groups. Governor Greg Abbott also banned TikTok on government devices amid security concerns over Chinese government access to sensitive information.
Texas’ trade volume with China is significantly higher than that of other Heartland states. The $22 billion in goods exports to China in 2022 was more than double its yearly average from 2008-2017.
To say that international trade is critical to Texas does the state a disservice, as Texas has led the nation in exports for 17 years, and is also a major importing state. Thus, disruptions in global supply chains and those caused by tariffs are especially felt in the Lone State. As they say, everything is bigger in Texas; the state imports more steel and aluminum than any other, and therefore has felt the biggest impact from U.S.’ global tariffs. Texas’ total exports to China fell by 34% between 2018 and 2019.
Much of this surge may be attributed to the increase in oil & gas exporting made possible by numerous recent deals over the past few years such as the Cheniere Energy and PetroChina contract for 1.8 MTPA (million tons per annum) for a period of 24 years.
Cheniere Energy, headquartered in Texas and the largest U.S. exporter of LNG (liquefied natural gas) made several deals with Chinese companies in 2021, and in 2022 signed its largest deal with PetroChina Co. Ltd. for 1.8 MTPA (million tons per annum) for a period of 24 years supplied from its to-be-expanded Corpus Christi terminal in South Texas. China’s ban on cryptocurrency has many Chinese bitcoin entrepreneurs heading for Texas, with the Lone Star state capable of meeting the energy demands for mining. COVID-19-related shut down of Tesla’s Shanghai production factory led to the opening of a new Gigafactory in Austin. Yet it is not all smiles and handshakes; in 2021 Texas adopted a law banning all contracts in the state with foreign-owned companies related to critical infrastructure, listing “hostile nations” such as China, with some talk of divestment. Texas currently has an estimated $9.12 billion invested in China.
China’s Trina Solar, one of the world’s largest solar panel makers, has announced it will build a 5 gigawatt solar panel factory in Wilmer, Texas. The $200 million facility will be more than 1 million square feet in size and will create 1,500 local jobs. However, negativity towards China is growing among the state’s politicians, evident in the Texas State Senate Bill S.B 147, which aimed to restrict land ownership for Chinese citizens. A watered-down version of the bill reached the House of Representatives before dying out due to protests from Asian American communities and various groups. Governor Greg Abbott also banned TikTok on government devices amid security concerns over Chinese government access to sensitive information.
In the 2022/2023 school year, an estimated 9,852 Chinese students studied in Texas contributing an estimated $583 million to the state’s economy.
This data and content is updated periodically. The most recent update was January 2024.
Exports
China's Ranking
In State's Global Trading Partners 2022
#3
Decade Average
Goods Exporting to China
2008-2017 Pre-Trade War
$10.4 Billion
Highest Year on Record
Goods Exporting to China
2022
% State Global Exporting to china
5%
of Goods Exports 2022
5%
of Service Exports 2021
State Ranking in Heartland
#1
In Total Goods Exports Value 2022
#1
In Total Service Exports Value 2021
State Ranking in U.S.
#1
In Total Goods Exports Value 2022
#3
In Total Service Exports Value 2021
China's Ranking
In State's Global Trading Partners 2022
#3
Decade Average
Goods Exporting to China
2008-2017 Pre-Trade War
$10.4 Billion
Highest Year on Record
Goods Exporting to China
2022
% State global exporting to china
5%
of Goods Exports 2022
5%
of Service Exports 2021
State Ranking in Heartland
#1
In Total Goods Exports Value 2022
#1
In Total Service Exports Value 2021
State Ranking in U.S.
#1
In Total Goods Exports Value 2022
#3
In Total Service Exports Value 2021
Partnership
Sister Cities
- Austin/Xishuangbanna
- Fort Worth/Guiyang
- Houston/Shenzhen & Shanghai
- Laredo/Chenzhou & Wenzhou & Wuwei & Zixing
- McAllen/Ganzhou
- San Antonio/Wuxi
- Southlake/Wuzhong
Sister Partnership
Texas
Yunnan
Export Details
2022
Goods Exports
$22 Billion
(USCBC Export Report 2023) +3%
1
Oil & Gas ($7.7B)
-2%
2
Basic Chemicals ($2.2B)
+29%
3
Resins & Synthetic Fibers ($1.7B)
+30%
2021
Service Exports
$29.Billion
(USCBC Export Report 2023) +3%
1
Royalties From Industrial Processes ($688M)
+1%
2
Education ($583M)
-3%
3
Trademark Royalties ($174M)
+14%
blank
Jobs
106,890
Jobs supported by exports to China in 2021 (USCBC Export Report 2023)
4,800
Jobs supported by Chinese companies (NCUSR Rhodium Group 2018)
+206
Chinese companies operating in-state (NCUSR Rhodium Group 2018)
1
Information not available
2
Information not available
3
Information not available
Education
(IIE Open Doors 2023)
Top educational Institutions with chinese enrollment
- University of Texas – Dallas
- Texas A&M University – College Station
- University of Texas – Austin
9,852
Estimated number of Chinese International Students in-State
$583 Million
Estimated revenue added by Chinese International Students (USCBC Export Report 2022)
Chinese-American Population
251,660
(APIAVote 2022)
Goods Exporting
At a total of $22 billion, 2021 Texas continued to dominate the Heartland region in terms of highest total goods exporting to China
$9.1 Billion
Chinese Foreign Direct Investment from 1990-2020
(Rhodium Group’s US-China Investment Hub)
Some data is not visible on mobile devices and some tablets. To see all available data please view on a high resolution full size tablet or a desktop/laptop computer.
For the states’ trade statistics: USCBC Export Report 2023.
For information relating to Chinese companies operating in-state: Rhodium Group and National Committee on U.S. China Relations’ “New Neighbors: 2018 Update”.
For information relating to Chinese international students: Open Doors’ 2023 Annual Data.
For the population of Chinese Americans in-state: APIAVote’s “2022 AAPI Voter Demographics by State”
For FDI: Rhodium Group’s US-China Investment Hub.
For sister city relationship information: Asia Matters for America by the East-West Center.
For foreign land ownership legislation: Mykel R. Taylor, Wendong Zhang, and Festus Attah. 2023. “Foreign Interests in U.S. Agricultural Lands: The Missing Conversations about Leasing.”