Musk open to China expansion: foreign ministry.
After meeting with Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang in Beijing, Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) CEO Elon Musk indicated he was prepared to grow business in China, the Chinese foreign ministry said.
Musk landed in Beijing hours earlier on an unannounced trip, his first to the country in more than three years, to meet senior Chinese authorities and visit Tesla’s Shanghai facility.
According to the Chinese foreign ministry, Musk told Qin he opposed decoupling the U.S. and Chinese economies in the discussion.
“The interests of the U.S. and China are intertwined, like conjoined twins, inseparable,” he said.
Tesla declined to comment on Musk’s trip, agenda, or remarks.
After arriving in China, where Twitter is banned but accessible via a VPN, Musk, who owns Twitter, went quiet on the platform.
Qin told Musk China employed an elaborate driving metaphor to depict China-U.S. relations and improved the business environment for investors, including Tesla.
“We must step on the brake in time, avoid dangerous driving, and be skillful at using the accelerator,” Qin said, according to the ministry. Musk’s Chinese government meetings and topics were unknown.
In March, Reuters reported that Musk planned to visit China and meet with Premier Li Qiang.
Musk met Li Keqiang in China in 2019. He danced onstage at Tesla’s Shanghai factory opening a year later, making Chinese social media buzz.
This week’s trip comes amid growing competition from Chinese electric vehicles and uncertainties over expansion plans for the Shanghai production complex Musk last visited in early 2020.
Tesla’s Shanghai facility is its main production hub and second-largest market after the U.S.
Tesla investors wonder if and how much the electric carmaker will boost Shanghai production.
China officials must approve Tesla’s $15,000 “Full Self Driving” software, which includes advanced driving assistance functions.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Chinese scholars have observed SpaceX and Starlink’s military applications with curiosity and alarm.
Chinese state-owned firms are deploying low-Earth orbit communications satellites to follow Starlink. However, according to Reuters, Chinese military analysts considered Starlink a threat.
Musk tweeted about China’s space program, which plans to land a crew on the moon by 2030 while flying to China.
“The Chinese space program is far more advanced than most people realize,” he remarked.
Comment Template