(TheConservativeTimes.org) – Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s private jet touched down in Beijing recently, where he met with senior government officials before flying to Shanghai to visit the city’s Tesla plant.
According to the Associated Press, while in Beijing, Musk met with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who told the Tesla CEO that the current strained relations between the United States and China require “mutual respect.”
The foreign minister reassured Musk that foreign companies are welcome in China despite tense relations between Beijing and Washington, according to a statement from the foreign ministry. In his remarks at the meeting with Musk, Qin used multiple vehicle analogies to describe his vision of improving relations between the two countries.
Qin told Musk that the US and China must “keep the steering wheel” in the direction of “peaceful coexistence” and “mutual respect” while avoiding “dangerous driving,” according to a statement from the foreign ministry.
The Foreign Minister also told the Tesla CEO that China is seeking to create a “law-based,” “market-oriented,” and “internationalized business environment.” He said development in China “is an opportunity for the world.”
In its statement, the foreign ministry also claimed that Musk expressed a willingness for Tesla to expand its operations in China while voicing his opposition to “decoupling” from the country.
Tesla’s Shanghai plant was China’s first wholly foreign-owned automobile plant. The facility opened in 2019 following Beijing’s decision to ease ownership restrictions as a way to speed up industry development and increase competition.
After visiting the Shanghai plant for the first time since January 2020, Musk met with the city’s Communist Party chief, Chin Jining. According to a statement released by the Shanghai government, Musk praised the Tesla facility’s success and said he hoped to work with Shanghai in other areas.
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