Taiwan has quietly become the biggest supplier of imported goods to five American states, a sign of how deep the trade tie now runs — good news for Taiwan's exporters, and a reminder of how hard it would be for the US to cut those links.

• Nevada gets 45% of all its imports from Taiwan, nearly half the state's total.
• Taiwan also ranks first in New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Kentucky.
• That puts Taiwan third among all suppliers to US states, behind Canada and Mexico but ahead of China.
• The five states are not all tech hubs — Arizona has drawn big chip investment, but Kentucky and Utah buy a different mix.
• Canada still dominates overall, leading in 23 states, with Montana taking over 90% of its imports from its northern neighbor.

Outlook: With chip plants still being built in Arizona and elsewhere, Taiwan's grip on these state-level supply chains looks set to tighten rather than loosen.