Tesla CEO Elon Musk is making plans to visit China as early as next month and is seeking a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang (李強), two people with knowledge of planning for the trip said.
The exact timing of the visit is subject to Li’s availability, one of the sources said.
Tesla and China’s State Council Information Office did not immediately reply to requests for comment yesterday.
Photo: AFP
China is Tesla’s second-largest market after the US and its Shanghai plant is the electric automaker’s largest production hub.
A visit by Musk would mark his first visit to China since the COVID-19 pandemic and since Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) secured a third term as head of state. Before Li became premier this month, he served as Shanghai’s party secretary where he oversaw the construction and opening of the Tesla factory.
Musk last visited China in early 2020, when he set the Internet abuzz by dancing on stage during an event at the Shanghai factory. However, he has continued to deliver virtual speeches at forums such as China’s World Internet Conference.
Li and Musk have met before, at the 2019 opening of the Shanghai plant. In 2020, they participated in online meetings where Musk thanked the then-Shanghai party secretary for supporting the plant’s operations during the COVID-19 pandemic’s outbreak, local media reports said.
Musk’s planned visit also comes as China is trying to woo more foreign investment to help shore up an economy battered by three years of COVID-19 curbs.
Li has been at the forefront of that effort, speaking over the past week at business events attended by the likes of Apple Inc’s Tim Cook and Pfizer Inc’s Albert Bourla.
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