U.S. states seek China ties at investment summit(2)

"The size and significance of Fuyao's investment really raised quite a bit of interest in the state. When I talked to them, I told them Fuyao's story and they all know Chairman Cao. It certainly gets their interest," she said.

Tanner and her people are working to get Governor John Kasich on a trip to China this year at the invitation of Cao. Kasich was present when Fuyao announced a major expansion in Ohio on Jan 13 of this year.

Both Fuyao Group and Wanda Group, which acquired AMC Entertainment in 2012, were cited in 15 recent foreign investment projects in a SelectUSA document distributed at the second SelectUSA Investment Summit.

A videotaped speech by Wang Jianlin, chairman of the Wanda Group, was played at the summit conference Tuesday morning in which Wang explained why he chose to invest in the U.S..

Tanner's colleague, Tao Zhang, is a recent graduate from a U.S. school. Originally from Shanghai, Zhang said that with an increasing number of Chinese companies going global, he wanted Chinese investors to know Ohio's economic strength, in such areas as manufacturing, auto, aerospace, biotechnology and shale gas, low bU.S.iness taxes, low costs and complete supply chains.

"And we will see how our strength and their indU.S.tries match in order to achieve win-wins," he said.

Monica Wahlberg, of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, said she is helping the work of the University of Wisconsin at River Falls in getting some Wisconsin companies to attend the World Dairy Expo and Summit 2015 in Harbin in northeast China's Heilongjiang province in April.

She said Wisconsin is assisting its companies in exporting to China while seeing Chinese investments in areas such as the water industry.

She added that Wisconsin not only boasts dairy but also other indU.S.tries. On a shelf in the booth, flyers introduce Wisconsin's strength in manufacturing, bioscience, water technology, food and beverage and energy power and control.

Learning that Wisconsin is best known in China for its ginseng, Wahlberg said, "We know you cannot get the highest quality ginseng in Wisconsin, because it's all been exported."

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker travelled to China in 2013, visiting Shanghai, Beijing and Harbin. He also announced the Wisconsin China Center that year in a bid to further boost China trade ties. His lieutenant governor Rebecca Kleefisch led a mission to China last December. China is Wisconsin's third largest trade partner, trailing Canada and Mexico.

More and more U.S. governors and mayors are leading trade missions to China in recent years to woo Chinese investment. Compared with politicians in Washington, local governors and mayors care about job creation and local economies rather than hot geopolitical issues that often divide Washington and Beijing.

According to a U.S.-China BU.S.iness Council (U.S.CBC) report last year, 47 U.S. states had witnessed their exports to China grow by more than 100 percent from 2004-2013. For the states of Nevada, South Carolina, Utah, Michigan, Nebraska, Alabama and Washington, the growth rate exceeded 500 percent.

In 2013, China ranked among the top three export markets for 42 U.S. states, with the exports of 32 U.S. states to China exceeding $1 billion each, according to USCBC.