Tesla to Expand Investments in China: Elon Musk

Tesla to Expand Investments in China: Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk attends the Tesla Shanghai Gigafactory groundbreaking ceremony in Shanghai, China, on Jan. 7, 2019. (Aly Song/Reuters)
9/27/2021
Updated:
9/29/2021

Elon Musk affirmed Tesla’s commitment to China, stating it will continue to invest in the country.

Tesla’s CEO delivered his message in a pre-recorded speech at the World Internet Conference on Sept. 26, hosted by the Cyberspace Administration of China.

Musk called China a “world leader in digitalization” and said it is crucial to his electric vehicle company. It’s the second time this month that Musk was complimentary of the nation.

Tesla, which assembles vehicles for the Chinese market in Shanghai, has faced regulatory scrutiny in China due to concerns about its privacy and certain recalls.

Musk said in the virtual speech that Tesla had established a site in China to store car data locally.

On Sept. 17, Musk also lauded Chinese automakers as the “most competitive in the world” during a pre-recorded stream at the World New Energy Vehicle Congress held in China’s Hainan Province.

Beijing had restricted or banned the use of Tesla cars by military staff and employees of key state-owned companies, due to security concerns over cameras installed on the vehicles, reported by Reuters and the World Street Journal in March.