BEIJING – Mr Elon Musk landed in Beijing on Tuesday in what is the billionaire’s first visit to China in three years, and met Foreign Minister Qin Gang.

The Tesla chief executive said the company is willing to keep expanding in China, and he and Mr Qin spoke about the merits of maintaining ties between China and the United States, according to a government statement late on Tuesday.

Mr Qin told Mr Musk that China is committed to developing a good business environment for foreign companies, the statement said.

Mr Musk is also expected to visit Tesla’s Shanghai factory, people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be identified because the information is private.

He may meet Premier Li Qiang, as well as discuss automated-driving technology that Tesla is seeking to introduce in China, one of the people said.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Mao Ning earlier on Tuesday welcomed Mr Musk and other business leaders, saying: “We would like to see foreign investors operating in China, exploring the Chinese market and sharing in the dividends of the development of China.”

Bloomberg reported earlier in May that Tesla was nearing the final stages before starting trial production of its revamped Model 3 sedan in Shanghai, which Mr Musk is betting will compete more effectively with Chinese rivals.

The revised version is slightly longer than the earlier version and sportier, with a sleeker interior design.

Tesla’s Shanghai plant accounted for more than half its global production last year, and the facility can now produce as many as 1.1 million cars a year.

Shipments from Tesla’s Shanghai facility dropped in April, a sign consumers may be casting around for other electric vehicles as manufacturers across China drop their prices.

The US automaker contributed almost one-quarter of Shanghai’s total automotive production value in 2022, and the local authorities pledged earlier this month to continue to boost ties with the company through autonomous driving and robot modules. BLOOMBERG