What is Elon Musk doing in China?

Tesla CEO leaves Shanghai on June 1. China is one of Tesla's most important markets for both consumption and production. Over the years, Musk has been full of praise for the world's second largest economy .

Musk’s business trip comes as China seeks to demonstrate its friendliness to foreign businesses amid heightened geopolitical tensions with the United States. So what did Musk do after landing in Beijing on May 30?

Meet with government officials

Musk met with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang upon his arrival in Beijing on May 30. According to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Qin spoke about the potential of the domestic electric vehicle market with “great development prospects.” Musk praised China’s people and achievements. Tesla opposes “decoupling” between regions and is ready to expand its business there.

On May 31, Musk met with Jin Zhuanglong, China’s minister of industry and information technology. The two discussed “the development of new energy vehicles and intelligent vehicles,” according to a statement from the ministry.

On June 1, Musk met with Chen Jining, the Communist Party Secretary of Shanghai. Tesla’s Gigafactory is located in the city. It is the company’s only factory in China and one of the largest in the world. According to an official statement, Chen spoke of Shanghai as a place for international business. Musk also praised the success of the Shanghai factory and hoped to continue to cooperate with the city in various fields.

Meeting with Deputy Prime Minister

Musk also met with Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, according to Reuters. He is a member of the Politburo Standing Committee. It is unclear what was discussed, but the meeting underscores Musk's close ties to China's top politicians.

Meet the Chairman of the World's Largest Electric Vehicle Battery Maker

During his trip, he met Robin Zeng, chairman of CATL – the world’s largest electric vehicle battery maker and a Tesla supplier. A photo circulating on Chinese social media showed Musk and Zeng walking side by side in a hotel.

In March, Bloomberg reported that Tesla was looking to build a battery factory in the US in partnership with CATL. It is unclear what the two sides were negotiating about.

Shanghai factory visit

Elon Musk takes a photo with Tesla factory employees in Shanghai. (Photo: Twitter)

A video posted by Tesla on Weibo shows Musk visiting the Shanghai factory on June 1. The billionaire gave a speech to employees and praised them. “It’s very impressive that you guys have overcome so many difficulties and challenges. I’ve told people all over the world that the cars we make here are not only the most efficient, but also the best quality,” Musk said.

The Shanghai factory is crucial to Tesla's expansion efforts in China.

No Twitter updates

According to Bloomberg , from May 29 to June 1, Musk did not update Twitter at all. Social Blade calculated that from the beginning of the year to May 29, there was not a single day that Musk did not post a tweet. In the past two weeks, he posted an average of 36 posts per day. Therefore, this is the billionaire's longest "break" since June last year.

It appears that the reason for this is that Twitter is banned in China. By early morning on June 1, he was active on Twitter again.

(According to CNBC, Bloomberg)

The hidden meaning behind Elon Musk's visit to China According to an analyst, Musk's visit to China is not only about Tesla but also a "political statement", calling for stability on both sides of the Pacific.

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