Illinois was the first state in the U.S. to open a trade office in China in 1974 and has maintained a dedicated team in the country. Among the Heartland States, Illinois shipped the highest value of oilseeds and grains to China in 2021. The $6.1 billion in total goods export to China in 2021 also marked a significant recovery after a historic low of $3.8 billion in 2018. Many Chinese investors, entrepreneurs, and companies have found home in Illinois due to its strengths in a wide range of industries. Most recently, the Illinois-based subsidiary of China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation delivered the first 400 locally manufactured subway trains to the Chicago Transit Authority in 2022. An estimated 14,000 Chinese students, the highest of all heartland states, are studying in Illinois in the 2021/2022 school year, contributing an estimated $487 million to the state’s economy. Illinois also has one of the largest Chinese American populations in the Heartland region. But with anti-Asian hate crimes spiking, members of the Illinois Asian American Caucus had to speak out against these hate crimes. Efforts such as this led to Illinois becoming the first state in the U.S. to mandate a unit of Asian American history in its public-school curriculum in 2021. 

Illinois has maintained substantial trade and investment partnerships with China for over 50 years, and recent years have both tested and reaffirmed long standing trade relations. Notably, China has ranked as Illinois’ third largest goods export market five years running. With annual goods exports to China averaging at $5 billion from 2008-2017, Illinois’ 20% growth and revenue of $6.1 billion in 2021 marked a return to form after several years of recovery from the decade’s low of $3.8 billion in 2018. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, service exports from Illinois to China fell by -35%.

This plunge and subsequent rehabilitation period are indicative of the impact the trade war had on Illinois’ top agricultural export of soybeans which were heavily tariffed; consequently, Illinois’ exporting of oilseeds and grains dipped from 1.9 billion in 2017 to just $475 million in 2018.

In 2021 the Prairie State shipped $2.9 billion worth of oilseeds and grains to China, accounting for half of the state’s total goods’ export revenue, and the highest amount in the Heartland region. Yet just as Illinois’ goods exports are recovering from their slump, the COVID-19 pandemic has in turn hit Illinois’ service exports–most notably in education. Hosting prestigious universities such as The University of Chicago and Northwestern University, many Chinese international students chose Illinois as their higher education destination. In fact, pre-COVID in 2019, Illinois generated the most revenue from Chinese students of any of the Heartland states at $628 million; when COVID struck, many Chinese students stayed home, losing Illinois over $100 million in 2020.

Recent talks at the 2022 Illinois Soybean Summit circle the idea of buyers in China buying directly from Illinois farmers as they seek to buy non-GMO soybeans. Members of a Chinese Embassy delegation were hosted by the Illinois Soybean Association for a farm tour in August of 2022. Trade continues in other arenas as well, as for example an Illinois-based subsidiary of China Railway Rolling Stock Corp. sent the first of its contracted 400 subway trains to the Chicago Transit Authority, which will replace about half of the current fleet in the largest metro care order in CTA history. With anti-Asian hate crimes spiking 224% from 2020 to 2021, and amidst reports of targeted crime and harassment in Chicago, members of the Illinois Asian American Caucus spoke out against hate and reaffirmed the importance of the TEAACH Act passed in 2021 which mandates Asian American history be taught in public schools in the state.

China ranks as Illinois’ leading place of origin for international students in 2022, with an estimated 14,072 students in attendance. This marks an estimated -4% decrease in enrollment of Chinese students from 2021 to 2022, and a -19% decrease from 2020 to 2022.

This data and content is updated periodically. The most recent update was January 2023.