In recent news, Chinese state media reported that Elon Musk met with Prime Minister Li Qiang in Beijing to discuss Tesla’s development in China. During the meeting, Prime Minister Li praised Tesla’s success as an example of American-Chinese economic and trade cooperation. Musk confirmed the meeting on the X platform, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to meet with the Prime Minister he has known for many years.
Tesla had agreed to open a factory in Shanghai in 2018, marking its first factory outside the US. Despite launching Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology four years ago, Tesla has not yet made it available in China, its second largest market. Recently, Musk announced on X that FSD could soon be available to customers in China pending regulatory approval.
Musk also expressed interest in transferring data collected by Tesla’s autonomous driving technology team in China abroad. Currently, Tesla stores all data collected by its Chinese team in Shanghai according to Chinese regulators’ requirements and has not transferred it to the US.
Over the past decade, Tesla has sold over 1.7 million cars in China, with the factory in Shanghai being the largest in the world. Musk commented on the increasing presence of electric vehicles in China, stating his belief that all cars will eventually be electric in the future.
The meeting between Musk and Prime Minister Li signifies continued growth and collaboration between Tesla and China in the realm of electric vehicles and autonomous driving technology.
