Kleefisch says she talked with Foxconn 2 years ago

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch says she first talked with officials from a Taiwanese company that builds iPhones and other electronics about considering expanding in Wisconsin two years ago.

Kleefisch told The Associated Press on Monday that she met with Foxconn officials during a trade mission two years ago to Japan and Taiwan. The company said in January it is looking to make a $7 billion investment in the United States and employ as many as 50,000 people.

Kleefisch said when trying to lure foreign investments, particularly from Asian countries, it's important to have face-to-face discussions and sometimes those can take years. Kleefisch says she did not talk specifics with Foxconn two years ago.

She says, "We had a great, general, wide-ranging conversation" about what Wisconsin had to offer.