Wisconsin's Lieutenant Governor reviews her eight-day mission to China.
China is a fast-growing, developing country, which makes it a very important opportunity for Wisconsin.
"The Chinese-United States relationship is perhaps the most important bilateral relationship today in the world. And it's one that's important for us to nurture. The Chinese build relationships over a long period of time on trust before any decisions are made."
Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton recently returned from a mission to China as head of the National Lieutenant Governors Association. While there, Lawton signed a student exchange agreement between the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Tsinghua University in Beijing. Lawton says China understands that their development as a country depends on importing knowledge and technology, which is something Wisconsin can export.
"My emphasis is to make that balance of trade more equal. The Chinese are sending a lot of products that are made with cheap labor. What we can do is send the high-tech important knowledge that we have here – as well as products. They're even interested in our cranberries."
Lawton also reached an agreement for the two Universities to form an exploratory commission to create a Global Manufacturing Institute. In addition, Lawton says her discussions led to an offer for China to host a delegation of Wisconsin agriculture, dairy, and animal husbandry experts to discuss best practices, dairy modernization and potential trade opportunities.
NOTE: The lieutenant governors of Alabama , Connecticut , Kansas , Nevada , and Wisconsin participated in the mission.