BEIJING: Billionaire Elon Musk, on a surprise visit to Beijing on Sunday, urged Chinese Premier Li Qiang and other officials to lift all restrictions on movement and parking of Tesla vehicles in some sensitive areas of the country over fear of a breach of sensitive and strategic data. discussed. , official media reported.
A recent report said that Tesla car drivers in China are reportedly facing entry restrictions into government-affiliated buildings due to security concerns with the increase in U.
According to a report published by Nikkeh Asia, an increasing number of meeting halls and exhibition centers across the country are refusing entry to Tesla vehicles. The report said that previous bans for the vehicles were generally limited only to military bases. were, but now an increasing number of highway operators, local authority agencies and cultural centers are reportedly implementing them.Musk arrived in Beijing on Sunday at the invitation of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade as Tesla is in talks with Chinese authorities to lift all restrictions, the state-run China Daily reported.
The daily quoted official sources as saying that the restrictions include movement and parking in some sensitive areas of the country, after Tesla's electric vehicles, or EVs, have passed an official national data inspection in China. It said Musk Discussed topics including lifting the ban on Tesla EVs in some sensitive areas like government agencies as well as launching full self-driving functions of the vehicles in the country.
It said Musk visited mainly due to a data issue and did not go there for the ongoing Auto China Show in Beijing, as reported.
In his meeting with Musk, Li said China's huge market would always be open to foreign-funded enterprises.He said China will work hard to expand market access and improve services to provide a better business environment and stronger support to foreign-funded enterprises so that companies from all countries can invest in China with peace of mind.
Tesla's development in China can be called a successful example of China-US economic cooperation, Li said, adding that the facts have proved that equal cooperation and mutual benefits are in the best interests of both countries.
The Chinese Prime Minister said he hopes the United States and China will meet halfway and promote the stable development of bilateral relations under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state. Official media reported that Musk said Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory is Tesla's best-performing and expressed his willingness to deepen cooperation with China to achieve more win-win results.
Musk is expected to meet senior Chinese officials on the State Council and "old friends" in Beijing, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.His Tesla has become a popular EV in China after setting up a US$7 billion factory in Shanghai, which began production in 2020. Musk, who recently confirmed plans to open a Tesla factory in the country Having abandoned a scheduled visit to India to meet Minister Narendra Modi, I am visiting Beijing at a time when their Tesla market in China is threatened by rising local EV sales.
Austin-based (Texas) Tesla has faced stiff competition from Chinese e-makers in the past few years. It has cut prices of its Shanghai-made vehicles by up to six percent to maintain its leading position in China's premium EV segment.
Grace Tao, Tesla's vice president of external relations in China, wrote comments in China's official newspaper People's Daily on Friday, saying that autonomous driving is a key growth driver for the country's new energy vehicle sector. Will prepare a business model.Such robotaxis, an approach Musk has embraced, the Post reported. Musk's latest visit to China coincides with the 2024 Beijing Auto Show, which opened on Thursday.
As a strong supporter of Beijing in the US, Musk enjoys red-carpet treatment in China, despite concerns over China's growing influence amid political divisions in Washington.
In 2019, Tesla was allowed to drive cars at the Zhongnanhai Complex, the residence and work area of Chinese leaders, when former premier Li Keqian hosted the CEO, and during Musk's three-day visit to Beijing last June, then-foreigner The minister had welcomed him. According to Post report, Kin Gang.The visit was warmly welcomed by the Chinese public, with social media posts focusing on the Chinese food Musk ate and some referring to him as a "pioneer" and "Brother Ma".
Tesla, the leader in China's premium EV segment, delivered 603,664 Model 3s and Model Ys made at its Shanghai Gigafactory to buyers in China last year, an increase of 37.3 percent compared to 2022.
The growth rate matches the 37 percent increase in sales recorded in 2022 when I delivered about 440,000 vehicles.Tesla has sold more than 1.7 million cars in China since entering the market in 2012 and is its biggest The factory is located in Shanghai, where Musk has high levels of political support for the project.
In a sign of its further commitment to China, Tesla purchased a parcel of land in Shanghai to build a factory with a planned annual capacity of 10,000 Tesla Megapack batteries, which are used for battery storage stations.His China visit also coincides with Tesla's recent announcement of reducing its global workforce by "more than 10 percent" to cut costs and increase productivity.
A recent report said that Tesla car drivers in China are reportedly facing entry restrictions into government-affiliated buildings due to security concerns with the increase in U.
According to a report published by Nikkeh Asia, an increasing number of meeting halls and exhibition centers across the country are refusing entry to Tesla vehicles. The report said that previous bans for the vehicles were generally limited only to military bases. were, but now an increasing number of highway operators, local authority agencies and cultural centers are reportedly implementing them.Musk arrived in Beijing on Sunday at the invitation of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade as Tesla is in talks with Chinese authorities to lift all restrictions, the state-run China Daily reported.
The daily quoted official sources as saying that the restrictions include movement and parking in some sensitive areas of the country, after Tesla's electric vehicles, or EVs, have passed an official national data inspection in China. It said Musk Discussed topics including lifting the ban on Tesla EVs in some sensitive areas like government agencies as well as launching full self-driving functions of the vehicles in the country.
It said Musk visited mainly due to a data issue and did not go there for the ongoing Auto China Show in Beijing, as reported.
In his meeting with Musk, Li said China's huge market would always be open to foreign-funded enterprises.He said China will work hard to expand market access and improve services to provide a better business environment and stronger support to foreign-funded enterprises so that companies from all countries can invest in China with peace of mind.
Tesla's development in China can be called a successful example of China-US economic cooperation, Li said, adding that the facts have proved that equal cooperation and mutual benefits are in the best interests of both countries.
The Chinese Prime Minister said he hopes the United States and China will meet halfway and promote the stable development of bilateral relations under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state. Official media reported that Musk said Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory is Tesla's best-performing and expressed his willingness to deepen cooperation with China to achieve more win-win results.
Musk is expected to meet senior Chinese officials on the State Council and "old friends" in Beijing, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.His Tesla has become a popular EV in China after setting up a US$7 billion factory in Shanghai, which began production in 2020. Musk, who recently confirmed plans to open a Tesla factory in the country Having abandoned a scheduled visit to India to meet Minister Narendra Modi, I am visiting Beijing at a time when their Tesla market in China is threatened by rising local EV sales.
Austin-based (Texas) Tesla has faced stiff competition from Chinese e-makers in the past few years. It has cut prices of its Shanghai-made vehicles by up to six percent to maintain its leading position in China's premium EV segment.
Grace Tao, Tesla's vice president of external relations in China, wrote comments in China's official newspaper People's Daily on Friday, saying that autonomous driving is a key growth driver for the country's new energy vehicle sector. Will prepare a business model.Such robotaxis, an approach Musk has embraced, the Post reported. Musk's latest visit to China coincides with the 2024 Beijing Auto Show, which opened on Thursday.
As a strong supporter of Beijing in the US, Musk enjoys red-carpet treatment in China, despite concerns over China's growing influence amid political divisions in Washington.
In 2019, Tesla was allowed to drive cars at the Zhongnanhai Complex, the residence and work area of Chinese leaders, when former premier Li Keqian hosted the CEO, and during Musk's three-day visit to Beijing last June, then-foreigner The minister had welcomed him. According to Post report, Kin Gang.The visit was warmly welcomed by the Chinese public, with social media posts focusing on the Chinese food Musk ate and some referring to him as a "pioneer" and "Brother Ma".
Tesla, the leader in China's premium EV segment, delivered 603,664 Model 3s and Model Ys made at its Shanghai Gigafactory to buyers in China last year, an increase of 37.3 percent compared to 2022.
The growth rate matches the 37 percent increase in sales recorded in 2022 when I delivered about 440,000 vehicles.Tesla has sold more than 1.7 million cars in China since entering the market in 2012 and is its biggest The factory is located in Shanghai, where Musk has high levels of political support for the project.
In a sign of its further commitment to China, Tesla purchased a parcel of land in Shanghai to build a factory with a planned annual capacity of 10,000 Tesla Megapack batteries, which are used for battery storage stations.His China visit also coincides with Tesla's recent announcement of reducing its global workforce by "more than 10 percent" to cut costs and increase productivity.
