Tesla's Musk praises China's 'vitality' on Beijing visit
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Elon Musk praises China's "vitality and promise" during his trip to China and vows to expand his business there.
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Elon Musk in a Tesla as he leaves a hotel in Beijing on Wednesday (Reuters)
Elon Musk, who is now visiting China and has met with numerous government officials, hailed the "vitality and promise" of the country on Wednesday, according to Beijing, and reportedly announced plans to expand his company there.
The erratic businessman, one of the richest men in the world, is visiting China for the first time in more than three years.
According to a Commerce Ministry readout of their meeting, he praised "the vitality and potential of China's development" when he met with Minister Wang Wentao in Beijing on Wednesday.
Musk "expressed full confidence in the China market, and was willing to continue deepening mutually beneficial cooperation."
As for China-US relations, he said they are "not a zero-sum game," the readout added, and thanked China for "the support and guarantees it provided for Tesla's Shanghai factory during the Covid-19 pandemic" when it was under strict lockdowns.
According to the Foreign Ministry, Musk told Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Tuesday that his company was "willing to continue to expand its business in China" and that he has a number of economic interests in the nation.
Tesla and Musk have not provided their own statement on the trip or answered AFP's requests for comment.
Musk also had a meeting with Industry Minister Jin Zhuanglong on Wednesday in Beijing to talk about "the development of new energy vehicles and intelligent connected vehicles," according to a readout from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
The tycoon was spotted boarding his private aircraft at Beijing's Capital International Airport on Wednesday evening.
According to reports cited by Bloomberg, he is scheduled to visit his factory in Shanghai after that and may even have a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
China is the largest market for electric vehicles in the world, and Tesla announced in April that it would expand its existing Gigafactory in Shanghai by building a second, much larger facility there.
Musk in China, Tesla to continue expanding business with Asian giant
The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed on Tuesday that Elon Musk met with Qin in Beijing, as the Tesla CEO kicks off his first visit to China in more than three years.
Qin told Musk that China was "committed to creating a better market-oriented, rule-of-law-based and internationalized business environment" for foreign companies, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on its website.
In response, Musk stressed that "Tesla opposes 'decoupling and breaking chains', and is willing to continue to expand its business in China," as per the Ministry.
Musk's relations with China caught the attention of US President Joe Biden, who indicated in November that the executive's relationships with other governments were "worthy" of inquiry.
He has also stirred up controversy by advocating for Taiwan's integration into China, a position that was well-received by Chinese authorities but infuriated Taipei.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Mao Ning, affirmed on Tuesday that Beijing welcomed visits by international executives "to better understand China and promote mutually beneficial cooperation."
Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, visited Beijing in March and said that his business had a "symbiotic" connection with China. Albert Bourla, CEO of pharmaceutical behemoth Pfizer, also traveled to Beijing during the same month.
