The flow of trade and migration between North Carolina and Mexico has sparked "unique" business and educational projects in the United States.

In February 1995, the state Commerce Department established an office of trade representation in the Mexican capital to aid small and medium-sized companies seeking to boost their exports or expand their operations into the neighboring country.

Its free services include information on the market, logistics, identification of possible distributors in Mexico and support for their participation in fairs and expos.

Since the office has been in operation, more than 1,000 companies in North Carolina have shown "interest" in the Mexican market, director Laura Camberos said.

"In most cases it is to find a representative that will take charge of the marketing and sales of products and services of the company here," she told Efe.

In 2009, total exports from North Carolina to Mexico reached $1.4 billion, according to figures from the state's office of representation in Mexico City.

For its part, Mexico in the same year bought 6.7 percent of North Carolina's total exports of food, machinery, textiles, petrochemical products, electronics and financial and banking services.

"All that has helped make Mexico the third biggest trade partner of North Carolina after Canada and China," Camberos said.

At the same time, big Mexican corporations, such as baking giant Bimbo and cement-maker CEMEX, maintain their operations in North Carolina, providing hundreds of jobs in the communities where they are established.

Mexicans make up 65 percent of North Carolina's roughly 700,000 Hispanics, who in turn represent 7 percent of the state's 9 million residents. READ MORE
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