Elon Musk Starts Critical China Visit

Elon Musk is in China for an important visit. He met with the Chinese foreign minister in Beijing. This is his first visit to China's biggest production center in three years. He is the CEO of Tesla, an electric car company.

A CEO recently visited China. The visit started on Tuesday. This visit is important because it's the latest by a top CEO from the United States. China has reopened its borders and reversed the zero-COVID policy in December. Other top CEOs have already visited, such as Tim Cook from Apple in March. Additionally, Jamie Dimon from JP Morgan and Laxman Narasimhan from Starbucks are in China this week.

After arriving in Beijing, Musk had a meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang. It happened just a few hours later.

Qin spoke with Musk. Qin said China will improve business environment for investors. Tesla is included in this improvement. Qin used a driving metaphor for China-US relations. The statement came from Qin's ministry.

Qin said we should brake at the right time and avoid risky driving. We also need to be good at using the accelerator to promote teamwork.

The foreign ministry said that Musk is ready to expand his business in China. He doesn't want the US and China to separate their economies. He called them "conjoined twins".

Relations between the US and China are not good. The US shot down a Chinese balloon that was spying. The US told China not to give weapons to Russia for the war in Ukraine. There are also problems with Taiwan, trade, and human rights. The US defence secretary and the Chinese defence minister will be in Singapore this weekend. The US asked to meet, but China said no.

Qin said to Musk that we should go forward with mutual respect, peace and cooperation. This is what the ministry statement said.

Qin said that both sides need to avoid "dangerous driving." He didn't provide any information on how to make relations better.

Musk went to China during a time when the Communist Party wants to attract investors to the slowing economy. Foreign companies feel uncomfortable due to recent consulting firm raids and tensions between China and the US.

No response from Tesla on Musk's trip, schedule or Qin meeting request. China is Tesla's second-biggest market next to the US.

Musk has Twitter but can't use it in China. He arrived in China and was quiet on the platform. In China, Twitter is banned, but some people can still use it with a virtual private network. He also didn't post on his Weibo account.

Reuters reported that he will visit Tesla’s Shanghai plant and meet other high-ranking officials from China. However, it is not known who he will meet or what topics will be discussed.

Someone who knows about it said that Zeng Yuqun, the head of CATL (a big battery company that supplies Tesla), is going to meet in Beijing. CATL hasn't said anything about it yet.

Musk went to China in 2019 and met with the ex-Premier Li Keqiang. One year after, he made people talk on Chinese social media when he danced on stage for Tesla's Shanghai factory opening.

Other electric vehicle brands from China are becoming stronger competitors to Tesla. Plus, there are doubts about Tesla's Shanghai factory's future growth. This factory is the main place where Tesla produces cars.

Tesla investors wonder how much the electric car company will ramp up production in Shanghai.

Daniel Ives from Wedbush predicts that Tesla will concentrate on expanding in China. He thinks they will be really aggressive about it.

China's electric vehicle market is the largest in the world. The market is still profitable, despite competition. It's being called the "golden goose" of EV markets.

The Shanghai plant of Tesla is essential for their production worldwide, according to an investor note. It is called “the heart and lungs” of the company.

Investors are worried if China regulators will allow Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" features. These are available in the US and cost $15,000.

Chinese researchers are keeping an eye on Elon Musk's SpaceX company and its Starlink satellite network. They are particularly interested in the military uses of the network, especially since Russia attacked Ukraine.

Chinese companies owned by the government want to create their own communication satellites in low-Earth orbit like Starlink. Researchers who work for the Chinese military think Starlink could be dangerous, based on some research that Reuters reviewed.

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