Tesla CEO Elon Musk made an unannounced visit to Beijing where he met with China’s number two official, Premier Li Qiang
Musk’s visit coincided with the Beijing Motor Show, where Chinese carmakers showcased their latest electric vehicles from April 25 to May 5.
During their meeting on Sunday, Premier Li expressed his hope for “win-win” cooperation between the United States and China, citing Tesla’s operations in China as a successful example of collaboration. He assured Musk that China’s large market will remain open to foreign-funded firms, reaffirming China’s commitment to expanding market access and enhancing service guarantees.
In response, Musk expressed his gratitude, stating on X that he was “honoured” to meet with the number two official.
During his visit, Tesla struck a deal with Chinese tech giant Baidu to utilize its mapping license for data collection on China’s public roads, a move that clears a regulatory hurdle for the rollout of self-driving software in China, according to Reuters.
Musk’s trip concluded as his plane departed from China en route to Anchorage, Alaska on Monday afternoon, as reported by the Chinese flight tracking app Flight Manager.
This visit follows Musk’s cancellation of a scheduled trip to India to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi due to “very heavy Tesla obligations”.
Tesla’s largest manufacturing plant outside the US is in Shanghai, where roughly half of its vehicles are produced. The company has faced challenges, including sluggish sales and increased competition from Chinese brands.
In the first quarter, Tesla’s vehicle deliveries dropped by 8.5 percent, leading to a 40 percent decline in its stock price since July. Despite reporting profits of $1.1bn in the first quarter, down from $2.51bn a year ago, Musk announced layoffs of over 10 percent of the company’s global workforce to ensure it remains “lean, innovative, and hungry for the next growth phase cycle”.
Chinese auto giant BYD briefly surpassed Tesla as the world’s largest electric vehicle maker in the last quarter of 2023, but Tesla reclaimed the title in the first quarter of 2024.
Musk’s visit to China is part of his frequent trips to the country, with his latest visit before this occurring in June last year
