Elon Musk is sought after like an A-list celebrity when he comes to China

According to Reuters , billionaire Elon Musk received many compliments during his visit to China. Chinese netizens used "nice words" to call Musk "pioneer", "brother Ma", "global idol".

Elon Musk at the headquarters of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce on May 31. (Photo: Reuters)

Since landing in Beijing on May 30, Musk has met with the ministers of foreign affairs , commerce, and industry. He had dinner with Zeng Yuqun, chairman of electric vehicle battery supplier CATL. It is unclear what the meetings were about. The industry minister only said that Musk and the company's leadership exchanged views on the development of electric vehicles and smart cars. The commerce minister said there was discussion about Tesla's development in the country.

Such scant information cannot stop the Chinese people from being crazy about Tesla CEO. One netizen commented: “He is a global star” . Another expressed: “Elon Musk is amazing, I wish China had someone like Elon Musk”.

Musk’s private jet left Beijing on the afternoon of May 31 for Shanghai, where Tesla has a factory, according to flight data provider Variflight. Reuters sources said he was there to meet with employees.

Musk’s unannounced visit is the latest by a U.S. tech CEO to visit China since the zero-Covid policy was lifted and borders reopened. Apple CEO Tim Cook visited in March, while JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon and Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan are also in town this week.

Unlike others, however, Musk’s trip became a hot topic on social media. He was popular despite the escalating US-China tensions. Even the 16-course menu at Man Fu Yan restaurant, where he dined with Zeng, was appealing. The menu was illustrated with two horses (a play on Musk’s Chinese name), depicting Tesla as a “dark horse” that stood out from traditional car companies.

Despite the attention he received online and his penchant for making a splash on Twitter, Musk has not made any official statements during the trip. Twitter is banned in China.

Musk’s first visit to China in three years comes as Tesla faces fierce competition from domestic electric carmakers and some uncertainty over plans to expand its Shanghai factory, which produced more than 700,000 Model Y and Model 3 vehicles last year, accounting for more than half of its global output.

Investors want to know whether Chinese regulators will approve Tesla’s advanced driver assistance features, which are available in the U.S. as part of its Full Self Driving suite of autonomous driving software for $15,000 per car.

(According to Reuters)

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