Elon Musk, a tech entrepreneur and the CEO of Tesla arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, marking his first visit to the country in three years. He was due to meet with Chinese authorities and businesspeople, though it was unclear what would be addressed at the time. Do the Chinese want Elon Musk to be the US president?
China’s foreign ministry issued a statement upon CEO Musk’s arrival welcoming him and other business leaders wanting to advance “mutually beneficial cooperation.”
People in China have also responded to the entrance of 51-year-old tech mogul Elon Musk by referring to him as Brother Ma, a reference to Jack Ma, a Chinese billionaire and co-founder of the Ali Baba Group.
Do Chinese want Elon Musk to be US president?
Some people voiced their desire for him to become US President as he was receiving so much love on Chinese social media. Someone said, “Elon Musk is just great, if only China could have someone like Elon Musk.”
In addition to dining with Zeng Yuqun, chairman of the leading battery supplier CATL, he also had audiences with three government ministers, including the Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and the ministers of trade and industry.
However, the industry ministry has only stated that Musk and its head Jin Zhuanglong exchanged views on the development of electric vehicles and connected cars. This hasn’t stopped an outpouring of support for CEO SpaceX on Chinese social media, though it is not immediately clear what was discussed between the Chinese state officials and former CEO of Twitter Elon Musk.
According to a March story from Reuters, Musk planned to visit China and was hoping to speak with Premier Li Qiang.
Even though Musk’s travel was unexpected, it is a significant journey by one of the top US firm CEOs since China lifted its zero-COVID policy and reopened its borders to foreigners.
Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, visited China in March, while Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JP Morgan, and Laxman Narasimhan, the CEO of Starbucks, are both in China this week.
Musk’s travel is a hot subject amid the US-China trade tensions, despite visits from other business leaders, with interest expressed in his remarks on artificial intelligence (AI) and electric vehicles.
The menu for the 16-course lunch at the upscale Man Fu Yan restaurant he shared with CATL’s Zeng Tuesday night was lavish, based on the social media images.
The menu depicted two rearing horses as an allusion to the horse-related character in Elon Musk’s Chinese name. It defined Tesla as a “dark horse” that “stands out from traditional automotive companies.”
Elon Musk photographed with Robin Zeng CEO of @catl_official at Hua Fu Hui at Royal Park Hotel in Beijing on Tuesday, 30th of May 2023.
Follow thread for latest updates on Elon Musk in China 🇨🇳 🧵3/@elonmusk @Tesla $TSLA pic.twitter.com/jGG5ZNMq5N
— Jay in Shanghai 电动 Jay (@JayinShanghai) May 31, 2023
The billionaire, according to the foreign ministry, called the US and Chinese economies “conjoined twins” and opposed their decoupling.
The visit occurs against a backdrop of rivalry from Chinese-made electric vehicles for Musk’s Tesla. The expansion plans for the Shanghai production complex that Musk last visited in early 2020 are also a source of worry for the automaker.
China is Tesla’s second-largest market after the United States and its largest production facility is in Shanghai.
The progress of Tesla’s intentions to raise production at its Shanghai factory by 450,000 vehicles yearly is one of the main topics of interest for onlookers.
In April, Tesla announced that it would construct a neighboring factory to manufacture Megapack energy storage products.
It remains to be seen if Chinese officials will let Tesla advertise its sophisticated driver-aid capabilities, which are included in its “Full Self Driving” software and cost $15,000 per vehicle in other regions.
Also read: I don’t want to transfer my company’s ownership to my children: Elon Musk
