Why China Matters to Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s goods exports to China reached a value of $2.2 billion in 2021, the highest recorded to date. Among the many agricultural exports from Wisconsin to China is the prized American Ginseng. Most of the American Ginseng exported to China is grown by small family farms, whose livelihood has been undermined by the trade war. The dairy industry of Wisconsin, along with peers from other states, are seeking growth in China, one of the fastest growing dairy markets in the world. Despite pandemic-related challenges, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection organized the Wisconsin Pavilion at the 2022 China Dairy Expo in China. Chinese companies have also found opportunities in Wisconsin such as the Chinese-owned ND Paper, which is planning further expansion of its mill in Biron while reducing energy consumption. Educational exchanges between Wisconsin and China have flourished in the past decades. In the 2021/2022 school year, an estimated 5,000 Chinese students, many of them at University of Wisconsin’s Madison campus, contributed approximately $150 million to the state’s economy. But political risks are growing. In early 2022, three bills targeting China were introduced in Wisconsin’s legislature all focused on the University of Wisconsin: SB 742, SB 744, and SB 745. All three bills failed to pass in the Assembly.
In 2021, Wisconsin logged the highest total value for goods exported to China in state history: $2.2 billion. Wisconsin has long enjoyed steady trade with China, with an average of $1.7 billion generated annually from goods exported to China from 2008 through 2017, and with this annual total exceeding $1 billion every year since 2007. This strong record of accomplishment is in part due to the diversification of Wisconsin’s exports to China. Whereas for the Heartland region, the top three categories of goods exported to China together account for 75% of all those states’ exports to China, in Wisconsin the top three categories account for just 40% of all state exports to China. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, service exports from Wisconsin to China fell by 27%.
Wisconsin was fortunate that, because of the diversity in its exports to China and thanks to the state’s strength in sectors such as industrial machinery and scientific instruments, total export revenue stayed high even as agricultural industries were impacted heavily by the trade war. As Wisconsin’s third-largest trading partner, the state ships out a variety of goods; dairy products, corn, soybeans, ginseng, and cranberries are just some of the state’s agricultural goods reliant on the Chinese market. Wisconsin has been shipping ginseng to China for over a century, with over 95% of U.S. ginseng exports coming from Marathon County, and Wisconsin-grown ginseng is considered a luxury product despite foreign competitors making up the majority of the market; however, but the 7.5% tariff China imposed on ginseng imports during the trade war has hurt the industry. China’s oilseed and grain imports from Wisconsin fell to just $74 million in 2018, but rebounded to $474 million in 2021. Wisconsin was hard hit by China’s retaliatory tariffs on U.S. dairy in 2019, with export sales in this category dipping to their lowest total in a decade; the industry was also negatively affected by overproduction and plummeting consumption, which resulted in the loss of dairy farms.
In 2021, even with many trade war tariffs still in place, Chinese consumption of U.S. dairy products skyrocketed, with a 940% increase in China’s imports of skim milk powder in the first five months of 2021 relative to the same period in 2019. China is expected to become the largest import market in the world for cheese, and while historically the U.S. has not been a primary supplier, rising demand could bode well for the second-largest dairy-producing state in the U.S. Wisconsin’s top category of exports to China, oilseeds and grains, increased by 32%, benefiting from the recent uptick in Chinese purchasing; however, the state’s second- and third-leading export categories—navigational and measuring instruments and aerospace products and parts—fell by 6% and 1%, respectively.
Wisconsin businesses interested in starting or expanding dairy exports to China were invited to the Wisconsin Pavilion at the 2022 China Dairy Expo in Nanchang. After a two-year pandemic cancellation, the China Lights Wisconsin Festival returned to the Boerner Botanical Gardens in the fall. In early 2022, three bills targeting China were introduced in Wisconsin’s Legislature, all focused on the University of Wisconsin: SB 742 would prohibit admitting or hiring anyone belonging to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, SB 744 would prohibit missions from China to any UW institution, and SB 745 would require disclosure of contracts or gifts from foreign sources. All three bills failed to pass.
China ranks as Wisconsin’s leading place of origin for international students in 2022, with an estimated 4,612 students in attendance. This represents an estimated 5% decrease in enrollment of Chinese students from the 2021 level, and a 15% decrease since 2020.
This data and content is updated periodically. The most recent update was January 2023.
Wisconsin’s goods exports to China reached a value of $2.2 billion in 2021, the highest recorded to date. Among the many agricultural exports from Wisconsin to China is the prized American Ginseng. Most of the American Ginseng exported to China is grown by small family farms, whose livelihood has been undermined by the trade war. The dairy industry of Wisconsin, along with peers from other states, are seeking growth in China, one of the fastest growing dairy markets in the world. Despite pandemic-related challenges, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection organized the Wisconsin Pavilion at the 2022 China Dairy Expo in China. Chinese companies have also found opportunities in Wisconsin such as the Chinese-owned ND Paper, which is planning further expansion of its mill in Biron while reducing energy consumption. Educational exchanges between Wisconsin and China have flourished in the past decades. In the 2021/2022 school year, an estimated 5,000 Chinese students, many of them at University of Wisconsin’s Madison campus, contributed approximately $150 million to the state’s economy. But political risks are growing. In early 2022, three bills targeting China were introduced in Wisconsin’s legislature all focused on the University of Wisconsin: SB 742, SB 744, and SB 745. All three bills failed to pass in the Assembly.
In 2021, Wisconsin logged the highest total value for goods exported to China in state history: $2.2 billion. Wisconsin has long enjoyed steady trade with China, with an average of $1.7 billion generated annually from goods exported to China from 2008 through 2017, and with this annual total exceeding $1 billion every year since 2007. This strong record of accomplishment is in part due to the diversification of Wisconsin’s exports to China. Whereas for the Heartland region, the top three categories of goods exported to China together account for 75% of all those states’ exports to China, in Wisconsin the top three categories account for just 40% of all state exports to China. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, service exports from Wisconsin to China fell by 27%.
Wisconsin was fortunate that, because of the diversity in its exports to China and thanks to the state’s strength in sectors such as industrial machinery and scientific instruments, total export revenue stayed high even as agricultural industries were impacted heavily by the trade war. As Wisconsin’s third-largest trading partner, the state ships out a variety of goods; dairy products, corn, soybeans, ginseng, and cranberries are just some of the state’s agricultural goods reliant on the Chinese market. Wisconsin has been shipping ginseng to China for over a century, with over 95% of U.S. ginseng exports coming from Marathon County, and Wisconsin-grown ginseng is considered a luxury product despite foreign competitors making up the majority of the market; however, but the 7.5% tariff China imposed on ginseng imports during the trade war has hurt the industry. China’s oilseed and grain imports from Wisconsin fell to just $74 million in 2018, but rebounded to $474 million in 2021. Wisconsin was hard hit by China’s retaliatory tariffs on U.S. dairy in 2019, with export sales in this category dipping to their lowest total in a decade; the industry was also negatively affected by overproduction and plummeting consumption, which resulted in the loss of dairy farms.
In 2021, even with many trade war tariffs still in place, Chinese consumption of U.S. dairy products skyrocketed, with a 940% increase in China’s imports of skim milk powder in the first five months of 2021 relative to the same period in 2019. China is expected to become the largest import market in the world for cheese, and while historically the U.S. has not been a primary supplier, rising demand could bode well for the second-largest dairy-producing state in the U.S. Wisconsin’s top category of exports to China, oilseeds and grains, increased by 32%, benefiting from the recent uptick in Chinese purchasing; however, the state’s second- and third-leading export categories—navigational and measuring instruments and aerospace products and parts—fell by 6% and 1%, respectively.
Wisconsin businesses interested in starting or expanding dairy exports to China were invited to the Wisconsin Pavilion at the 2022 China Dairy Expo in Nanchang. After a two-year pandemic cancellation, the China Lights Wisconsin Festival returned to the Boerner Botanical Gardens in the fall. In early 2022, three bills targeting China were introduced in Wisconsin’s Legislature, all focused on the University of Wisconsin: SB 742 would prohibit admitting or hiring anyone belonging to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, SB 744 would prohibit missions from China to any UW institution, and SB 745 would require disclosure of contracts or gifts from foreign sources. All three bills failed to pass.
China ranks as Wisconsin’s leading place of origin for international students in 2022, with an estimated 4,612 students in attendance. This represents an estimated 5% decrease in enrollment of Chinese students from the 2021 level, and a 15% decrease since 2020.
This data and content is updated periodically. The most recent update was January 2023.

Exports
China's Ranking
In State's Global Trading Partners 2021
#3
Decade Average
Goods Exporting to China
2008-2017 Pre-Trade War
$1.7 Billion
Highest Year on Record
Goods Exporting to China
2021
% State Global Exporting to china
9%
of Goods Exports 2021
6%
of Service Exports 2020
State Ranking in Heartland
#14
In Total Goods Exports Value 2021
#10
In Total Service Exports Value 2020
State Ranking in U.S.
#27
In Total Goods Exports Value 2021
#25
In Total Service Exports Value 2020
China's Ranking
In State's Global Trading Partners 2021
#3
Decade Average
Goods Exporting to China
2008-2017 Pre-Trade War
$1.7 Billion
Highest Year on Record
Goods Exporting to China
2021
% State global exporting to china
9%
of Goods Exports 2021
6%
of Service Exports 2020
State Ranking in Heartland
#14
In Total Goods Exports Value 2021
#10
In Total Service Exports Value 2020
State Ranking in U.S.
#27
In Total Goods Exports Value 2021
#25
In Total Service Exports Value 2020
Partnership
Sister Cities
- Door County/Jingdezhen
- La Crosse/Luoyang
- Marshfield/Zhangjiagang
- Milwaukee/Ningbo & Zhejian
- Richland Center/Yueqing
Sister Partnership
Wisconsin

Heilongjiang Province

Export Details
2021

Goods Exports
$2.2 Billion
(USCBC Export Report 2022) +15%
1
Oil Seeds & Grains ($474M)
+32%
2
Navigational & Measuring Instruments ($282M)
-6%
3
Pharmaceuticals & Medicines ($126M)
+65%
2020

Service Exports
$373 Million
(USCBC Export Report 2022) -27%
1
Education ($135M)
-17%
2
Royalties from Industrial Processes ($55M)
+25%
3
Software Distribution Royalties ($50M)
-5%
blank

Jobs
13,400
Jobs supported by exports to China in 2020 (USCBC Export Report 2022)
2,200
Jobs supported by Chinese companies (NCUSR Rhodium Group 2018)
+47
Chinese companies operating in-state (NCUSR Rhodium Group 2018)
1
Techtronic Industries 5,900 employees
2
Nine Dragons Paper 380 employees
3
Hepalink 300+ employees

Education
(IIE Open Doors 2022)
Top educational Institutions with chinese enrollment
- University of Wisconsin – Madison
- University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
- Marquette University
4,612
Estimated number of Chinese International Students in-State
$135 Million
Estimated revenue added by Chinese International Students (USCBC Export Report 2022)

Chinese-American Population
31,177
(APIAVote 2020)

Goods Exporting
In 2021, Wisconsin exported the most diverse goods to China of any Heartland state, with its top 3 exports accounting for just 41% of its total revenue.

$563 million
Chinese Foreign Direct Investment from 1990-2020
(Rhodium Group’s US-China Investment Hub)
Some data is not visible on mobile devices and some tablets. To see all available data please view on a high resolution full size tablet or a desktop/laptop computer.
States’ trade statistics: USCBC Export Report 2022.
For information relating to Chinese-owned operations in-state: Rhodium Group and NCUSR’s 2018 Report.
For information relating to Chinese international students: Open Door’s 2022 Annual Data.
For the population of Chinese Americans in-state: APIAVote’s 2020 AAPI Numbers and Facts Report or https://population.com/ if the report did not have the data.
For FDI: Rhodium Group’s US-China Investment Hub.
For sister city relationship information: Asia Matters for America.