BEIJING: A private jet used by Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk has arrived in Beijing, according to a Reuters witness.
Musk is expected to meet senior Chinese officials and visit Tesla’s factory in Shanghai, sources said, in what would be his first trip to China in three years.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Musk had arrived in China.
It was unclear who Musk would meet in the Chinese government and what issues they would discuss. State media had not reported on Musk’s visit on Tuesday afternoon.
China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the government welcomes Musk – and other business leaders – seeking to promote “mutually beneficial cooperation”.
Reuters reported in March that Musk was planning a trip to China and was seeking to meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
The trip comes at a time when Tesla is facing growing competition from Chinese-made electric vehicles and some uncertainty over plans to expand the Shanghai factory complex that Musk last visited in early 2020. .
China is Tesla’s second-largest market after the United States, and the Shanghai plant is the electric carmaker’s largest production center.
Key areas of interest for Tesla watchers include the progress of its plans to increase production to 450,000 vehicles a year at its Shanghai plant. It announced in April that it would build a factory nearby to produce Megapack energy storage products.
Another open question is whether Chinese regulators will allow Tesla’s advanced driver assistance features available in other markets to be released as part of the “Full Self Driving” software it is selling for $15,000. per vehicle.
Musk’s private jet, a 2015 Gulfstream G650ER, was shown leaving Alaska on Tuesday morning Asia time, before passing through Japan and South Korea, according to ADS-B Exchange, an aggregation website of flights.
The plane with its identifying tail number could be seen at Beijing Capital International Airport on Tuesday, according to the Reuters witness.
While his plane was en route to China, Musk tweeted about the progress of China’s space program, which aims to land a crew on the Moon before 2030.
“The Chinese space program is far more advanced than most people think,” he said.
Musk’s space company, SpaceXand military applications of its Starlink satellite network have been followed with interest and concern by Chinese researchers since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Chinese state-owned companies are racing to follow Starlink by launching their own communications satellites into low Earth orbit. Chinese military researchers have studied Starlink as a potentially threatening technology, according to a study reviewed by Reuters.
Musk is expected to meet senior Chinese officials and visit Tesla’s factory in Shanghai, sources said, in what would be his first trip to China in three years.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Musk had arrived in China.
It was unclear who Musk would meet in the Chinese government and what issues they would discuss. State media had not reported on Musk’s visit on Tuesday afternoon.
China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the government welcomes Musk – and other business leaders – seeking to promote “mutually beneficial cooperation”.
Reuters reported in March that Musk was planning a trip to China and was seeking to meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
The trip comes at a time when Tesla is facing growing competition from Chinese-made electric vehicles and some uncertainty over plans to expand the Shanghai factory complex that Musk last visited in early 2020. .
China is Tesla’s second-largest market after the United States, and the Shanghai plant is the electric carmaker’s largest production center.
Key areas of interest for Tesla watchers include the progress of its plans to increase production to 450,000 vehicles a year at its Shanghai plant. It announced in April that it would build a factory nearby to produce Megapack energy storage products.
Another open question is whether Chinese regulators will allow Tesla’s advanced driver assistance features available in other markets to be released as part of the “Full Self Driving” software it is selling for $15,000. per vehicle.
Musk’s private jet, a 2015 Gulfstream G650ER, was shown leaving Alaska on Tuesday morning Asia time, before passing through Japan and South Korea, according to ADS-B Exchange, an aggregation website of flights.
The plane with its identifying tail number could be seen at Beijing Capital International Airport on Tuesday, according to the Reuters witness.
While his plane was en route to China, Musk tweeted about the progress of China’s space program, which aims to land a crew on the Moon before 2030.
“The Chinese space program is far more advanced than most people think,” he said.
Musk’s space company, SpaceXand military applications of its Starlink satellite network have been followed with interest and concern by Chinese researchers since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Chinese state-owned companies are racing to follow Starlink by launching their own communications satellites into low Earth orbit. Chinese military researchers have studied Starlink as a potentially threatening technology, according to a study reviewed by Reuters.
