China is changing the world. The nation has leapfrogged Britain to become the fourth-largest economy on earth. Its factories are stoking a mass migration that is prompting billions of dollars in investment. Its growth is straining the global supply of concrete, steel, coal and oil.

China's expansion is also hurting North Carolina, where silent plants testify to thousands of layoffs that have forced an economic evolution.

Not all of the jobs went to China. Mexico, Central America and Vietnam also got a share as companies sought cheaper labor.

But China, a communist giant embracing capitalism, has come to symbolize them all. It is a land that is cursed in countries that have been shaken by its awakening.

China, though, is not only a threat; it holds great promise.

It is home to 1.3 billion people, many of them moving to a higher standard of living. Businesses are rushing to sell more there; North Carolina's exports to China surged 19 percent last year.

The state is working to bring more of China's wealth here. It already has the headquarters of Lenovo, the Chinese computer maker that bought IBM's personal computer division in 2005. There's likely more to come. Oklahoma, for instance, recently won the U.S. plant of a Chinese automaker that plans to revive the British MG.

"It's a double-edged sword because we've lost a number of jobs," said Peter Cunningham, director of international trade for the state Department of Commerce. "But the reality is we've got to position ourselves to take full advantage of the opportunities."