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Gov. Bev Perdue spoke to reporters from China this morning. In addition to giving an update on her trip, she took questions.

A lot of the questions and comments focused on high tech job recruiting. But since the High Point Furniture Market is in full swing, I asked if she was having discussions over there about North Carolina’s traditional industries. After all, China wasn’t so much viewed as a potential partner during the late 1990s and early part of this decade. Many executives and workers here in North Carolina saw the country and its ultra-cheap labor force as a large contributor to the decline of the textile and furniture industries.

“It has been the elephant in the room if you will,” Perdue said. She added that her discussions with Chinese leaders thus far have emphasized that the trading relationship with North Carolina needed to be a two-way street.

This first recording picks up with my question and captures a couple of the other economy and business-recruiting-related discussions Perdue had with reporters.

The recording below picks up with some of the “off-topic” questions that Perdue fielded.
Among the other questions, she’s asked about how she’s perceived as a female head of state, about the imminent release of prisoners who had been given life sentences and about her appointment of a commander to the highway patrol.