Tesla’s Musk planning to visit China in April, seeking meeting with PM Li Qiang
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
Tesla's Shanghai plant is the electric carmaker's largest production hub.
PHOTO: REUTERS
SHANGHAI – Tesla chief executive Elon Musk is making plans to visit China as early as April and is seeking a meeting with China’s Premier Li Qiang, two people with knowledge of planning for the trip have told Reuters.
Tesla and China’s State Council Information Office did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
China is Tesla’s second-largest market after the United States and its Shanghai plant is the electric carmaker’s largest production hub.
A visit by Mr Musk would mark the first time he has visited China since the Covid-19 pandemic and since Mr Xi Jinping secured a third term as China’s president.
Mr Musk last visited China in early 2020, when he set the Internet abuzz by dancing on stage during an event at the Shanghai factory.
But he has continued to deliver virtual speeches at forums such as China’s World Internet Conference.
Mr Li and Mr Musk have previously met at the 2019 opening of the Shanghai plant.
In 2020, they participated in online meetings where Mr Musk thanked the then-Shanghai party secretary for supporting the plant’s operations during the pandemic, according to local media reports.
Mr 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.
Mr Li has been at the forefront of that effort, speaking over the past week at business events attended by the likes of Apple’s chief Tim Cook and Pfizer’s CEO Albert Bourla. REUTERS
