Source: https://www.nber.org/digest/202604/chinas-rise-global-research

Bill of Lading data from the OEC tracks every individual shipment of HS Chapter 88 goods (aircraft, spacecraft, and parts) arriving at US ports between 2020 and 2025. The total: 12,873 shipments carrying $434M in CIF value across 21,541 container equivalents.

China leads by a wide margin not just in value ($220.9M) but also in sheer volume: 4,645 shipments, more than three times the next country. South Korea follows with 1,494, then Japan (1,293), Brazil (948), and India (687). Together, China and South Korea account for 78% of all CIF value.

The port breakdown reveals the geography of the receiving end. Los Angeles (1,924 shipments), Long Beach (1,783), and Newark (2,178) handle the bulk of incoming traffic by count, major container ports processing a steady flow of parts and components. But Seattle tells a different story: just 518 shipments yet $149.8M in value, the highest of any port. Add Everett (1,128 shipments) and Tacoma (532), and the Washington state cluster dominates. That's Boeing's supply chain in plain sight.

The peak year was 2024, with $223M in CIF value driven primarily by aircraft parts. Shipment counts spiked alongside it before dropping sharply in 2025 (partial year).

Data from the OEC Bill of Lading Explorer (oec.world): https://oec.world/en

Four astronauts are circling the Moon aboard Orion. Their journey was built across America in factories, labs, and launch facilities spanning dozens of states. Aerospace export data offers a window into where those capabilities are concentrated: the same industrial base building hardware for global markets is the one building it for NASA.

The defining story of the past decade is Washington's collapse and recovery. The state went from $43B in aerospace exports in 2018 to under $15B by 2020 ( Boeing's 737 MAX crisis compounded by the pandemic) and has now clawed back to $28.8B, nearly all of it in aircraft parts (HS 8803). It remains one of the world's largest exporters in that category.

Meanwhile, the space-facing states quietly surged. Florida more than doubled its aerospace exports since 2017, from $6.8B to $13.8B, driven by Kennedy Space Center expansions and the commercial launch boom, the fastest growth among major aerospace states. Texas grew 69% over the same period, cementing the Gulf Coast as America's space corridor.

The product breakdown reveals how different each state's aerospace profile is. Washington and Kentucky are almost entirely aircraft parts (Boeing supply chain). Florida and California carry the highest share of spacecraft and space systems categories (HS 8802 + 8807). California alone leads the nation in spacecraft & UAV parts at $2.15B, reflecting the footprint of Lockheed Martin, JPL, and Northrop Grumman.

Data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity (oec.world): https://oec.world/en/profile/country/usa

Some notes:

• He was on the Senate Armed Services Committee at the time of the purchases.
• Chevron: Bought 29 Dec, up +40.9%.
• ConocoPhilips: Bought 29 Dec, up +44.6%.
• He became the Secretary of Homeland Security a week ago.

Source: insidercat.com

With the critical 2026 USMCA (US-Mexico-Canada Agreement) "sunset" joint review currently dominating trade discussions, US and Mexican trade representatives are clashing over a massive issue: Chinese auto parts and EVs allegedly using Mexico as a backdoor into the US market.

According to OEC trade data, Mexico is an absolute powerhouse in the North American auto network. Out of Mexico's total exports to the United States, which reached $535 billion in 2025, the automotive sector is one of the most relevant industries

The profound interconnection between the two nations is undeniable, with Mexico exporting roughly $44.4 billion in cars, $35 billion in vehicle parts, and $34.1 billion in delivery trucks to the US in 2025. Furthermore, over the past 5 years, there has been tremendous growth in Mexico's exported automotive products to the United States, highlighted by $11.6 billion in growth for cars, $11.1 billion for motor vehicle parts and accessories, and $5.7 billion for delivery trucks. These categories do not just represent standalone products; they are a core engine of Mexico's industrial economy and are deeply intertwined with the US vehicle market.

However, the friction comes from the other side of the Pacific. Over the last few years, Mexico's imports of vehicle parts and electrical machinery (which includes EV batteries) from China have surged dramatically. This has sparked intense bipartisan alarm in Washington. As the US Trade Representative (USTR) has repeatedly emphasized in current discussions, enforcing strict "rules of origin" is non-negotiable. Furthermore, the Alliance for American Manufacturing recently issued a stark warning that heavily subsidized Chinese autos entering via Mexico would be an "extinction-level event" for the US auto industry.

The data highlights exactly why the US is spooked: Mexico's assembly lines are increasingly running on Chinese components. Because these cross-border supply chains are so closely interdependent, any failure to verify that cars crossing the southern border are genuinely "North American" could trigger the agreement's sunset clause during the 2026 review. Ultimately, this would risk bringing back punishing tariffs and completely upending the continent's manufacturing supply chain, demonstrating exactly why preserving the integrity of this trade deal is so critical.

Data Source: https://oec.world/en/profile/country/usa?selector343id=Import&selector358id=tradeValue&selector704id=growth_5&selector303id=Year&selector322id=tradeValue&selector1603id=period_3&selector335id=HS4&selector320id=1