Tesla boss Elon Musk is reportedly planning to fly to China this coming month with intentions to meet Premier Li Qiang, Reuters reports citing two people familiar with the matter.
Interestingly, Li was Shanghai’s party secretary tasked to supervise the development and inauguration of Tesla’s Gigafactory Shanghai before he was appointed premier in March.
One of the sources claims that CEO Musk’s plan to visit the world’s largest auto market is dependent on Li Qiang’s availability.
When was CEO Musk’s last visit to China?
CEO Musk’s last visit to China was in early 2020. That time, he stirred the online community as he danced on stage at a company event at Giga Shanghai.
Nonetheless, he apparently has kept giving online presentations at conferences like the World Internet Conference in China.
Interestingly, the report noted that the speculated visit is the first time CEO Musk would travel to China since the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, this is his first trip there since Xi Jinping was elected to a third term as China’s leader.
China needs more foreign investment
CEO Musk’s rumored plans to visit its second-largest market align with China’s recent efforts to attract foreign investors. Apparently, the country still needs to boost its economy adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the past three years.
Li has been leading that campaign, appearing over the last week at professional gatherings attended by corporate leaders like Tim Cook of Apple Inc. and Albert Bourla of Pfizer.
What might be CEO Musk’s intention in seeking a meeting with the premiere?
Unfortunately, the sources familiar with the matter did not disclose Musk’s intentions to meet with Li.
However, it is worth noting that the automaker faces numerous issues in China, including production expansion delays in the Giga Shanghai.
Tesla EVs were also banned from driving in Chinese military complexes and political discussion areas due to worries involving its cameras.
Apart from that, Tesla has yet to receive approval from Beijing for its FSD beta in China.
See Also:
- Tesla China will increase Giga Shanghai production in response to increasing demand
- Tesla China readying huge fleets of Model 3 and Model Y to export
- Report: Tesla China Exec Tom Zhu named as Elon Musk’s successor
- Tesla China shutdowns its flagship store in Beijing
- Tesla China sells 83,135 vehicles from Giga Shanghai in September
Considering these important concerns, it would not be surprising if Tesla CEO Elon Musk really ended up attempting to talk about these topics with Li.
Unfortunately, neither Tesla nor the State Council Information Office of China confirmed the news.
