Andy Kim wants to lure foreign businesses to South Jersey. Could Trump’s tariffs help?
“Down in South Jersey there’s a lot more space, and the space is good for more than just warehouses,” Kim said of his hopes of bringing more industry to the region.
ATLANTIC CITY — Sen. Andy Kim wants to lure foreign businesses to South Jersey. He said the state can seize on President Donald Trump’s tariffs to make that happen.
The New Jersey Democrat said Tuesday that companies from different countries are seeking to build in the United States as a way to avoid the costly tariffs.
Kim has previously spoken against the tariffs and still believes they’re too high, but he thinks the state can use them to help land overseas companies.
“We should be at a full-court press right now to try to draw in resources to draw in investments,” Kim told The Inquirer, following an appearance at the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce’s summit in Atlantic City. “I’m trying to do that as best as I can with different countries and regions that I’ve been engaged in conversations with.”
The numbers are mixed since Trump announced his tariffs, a year ago this week. The U.S. saw a 1% increase in manufacturing output, but has lost 93,000 manufacturing jobs since Trump’s “Liberation Day,” according to the Washington Post.
In a separate appearance at the conference on Tuesday, Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill blasted Trump’s tariffs and said they make “it all but impossible” for New Jersey businesses to plan ahead.
Kim, who is from Burlington County, told the crowd of New Jersey business leaders gathered at Harrah’s that the state needs to address misconceptions among businesses abroad.
He said he realized during his travels to South Korea, Japan, and Europe that New Jersey needs to up its game at promoting itself compared to other states.
Kim later elaborated in an interview that many international companies believe there’s “no space” to build in densely populated New Jersey.
“Down in South Jersey there’s a lot more space, and the space is good for more than just warehouses,” he said.
He said companies he spoke with had only considered putting something like a corporate headquarters in New Jersey, but didn’t even realize manufacturing would be an option. Kim said he sees “huge opportunities” for bringing back more manufacturing jobs to South Jersey.
The senator pointed to a new manufacturing facility in Central Jersey for South Korean biopharmaceutical company Celltrion, which he’s previously embraced as an example of the “global innovation in medicine and technology” the state needs.
Kim said “a number of other companies from Asia” are interested in partnering with companies in the state.
He said he wants the Paulsboro port to get involved with the shipbuilding efforts right across the river in Philadelphia spearheaded by Korean company Hanwha. He pointed to bipartisan interest in the industry, including from Trump.
“Let’s get Paulsboro an opportunity to be able to take part in that, and build off of that,” he said. “We can use South Jersey to be able to support what’s happening in the Philly shipyard.”
He also sees opportunities for investment in technology and innovation in region.
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst is “incredibly well suited” for more drone innovation, he said, and the Atlantic City Airport’s Federal Aviation Administration technical center has a lot of potential.
“This is one of the largest FAA tech centers in the entire country,” he said. “I think we can build a real tech ecosystem around there.”