China company, Taiwanese government donate 210,000 masks to Wisconsin

MADISON — A China-based company and the Taiwanese government donated about 210,000 procedural masks to Wisconsin to bolster the state’s supply of personal protective equipment.
About 100,000 procedural masks came from the Wanxiang America Corp., a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of the Wanxiang Group Corp. based in China, and its president, Pin Ni. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. coordinated the donation. The Wisconsin Technical College System Foundation received the goods nominally and donated them to the state to eliminate duty payments, according to a WEDC news release.
“We appreciate the generous donation of Wanxiang to our state,” said WEDC Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes. “Partnerships like this show how our communities can get through the pandemic if we work together.”
The state also received:

• 10,000 procedural masks from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago, representing the government of Taiwan, and the specialty fitness retailer Johnson Fitness & Wellness, which has stores in Wisconsin, Minnesota and other states. The masks were manufactured in Wisconsin.
• 100,000 procedural masks from the government of Taiwan, coordinated through TECO.

The donations are among the latest in a series that Wisconsin has received to support its COVID-19 response. Organizations that have donated equipment such as masks, gloves, face shields and gowns include the Wisconsin Dental Association, WEC Energy Group, Snap-On Tools, Northern States Power Co., ND Paper, the Wisconsin Humane Society, Foxconn and Wisconsin’s sister state of Heilongjiang Province.
“Competition for PPE is intense and global,” Gov. Tony Evers said. “That is why we have built partnerships with businesses and governments, both here and abroad, to help grow our state supply.
“We will continue to pursue every available avenue to equip our COVID-19 front-line responders so they can help keep Wisconsin communities safe and healthy,” Evers said.
The state encourages companies, educational facilities and other organizations that may have PPE and other resources to donate them at the state’s donor/buyback website.

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