Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin said he hopes his state can form “trusted supply chain relationships” with U.S. allies and other “friends,” like Japan, in order to create supply chains that are not dependent on China. 

Youngkin is currently in the midst of his first trip to Asia as a governor where he is looking to secure more investments for his state from Japanese chip makers. Even though Virginia is currently home to at least 130 Japanese companies, Youngkin believes he can forge additional new partnerships with semiconductor producers as well as other critical sectors so that the state can build supply chains “with trusted partners.” Youngkin said that he has also met with leaders from Japan’s pharmaceutical and automotive industries.

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“We can lead the charge in forging this trusted supply chain relationship with nations that will contribute to the longstanding great relationship that we have, but add to our growth together… in a world where we need to do more with our friends,” Youngkin said during a recent news conference with Micron executive vice president Manish Bhatia and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel. Micron is reportedly in the middle of a $3 billion expansion of its computer chip factories in Manassas, Virginia.

Youngkin has been upfront about not wanting his state to rely on Chinese suppliers. In January 2023, he disclosed that he interfered with and ended an effort by Virginia to build a large electric vehicle battery plant in the state as part of a joint venture between Ford and an unnamed Chinese company claiming the project was a “front” for the Chinese Communist Party.