Elon Musk meets with Chinese vice president prior to Trump inauguration
01/20/2025 08:00 AM
Before Elon Musk took to the stage with his son X at U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration, he met with China’s Vice President Han Zheng in Washington.
The meeting between the Tesla CEO and the Chinese official was reported by Xinhua news agency on Monday.
The meeting:
- As noted in a Reuters report, the Chinese VP “welcomed Tesla and other U.S. companies to seize the opportunities and share in the benefits of China’s development, and contribute to the growth of China-U.S. economic and trade relations.”
- Zheng also met with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance.
- Zheng and Vance reportedly discussed a “range of topics including fentanyl, balancing trade and regional stability,” as noted in a report from the Associated Press.
- A readout of the meeting from the Chinese Foreign Ministry also noted that the Chinese VP stressed the “extensive common interests and enormous space of cooperation” the U.S. and China share in economic and trade relations despite “some disagreements and frictions.”
Musk and China:
- Musk’s Tesla is one of China’s biggest players in its New Energy Vehicle (NEV) sector.
- Previous reports also indicated that the Tesla Model Y was China’s best-selling vehicle by volume in 2024.
- Tesla has a prominent presence in China, thanks in no small part to Gigafactory Shanghai, which produces the Model Y crossover and the Model 3 sedan.
- Giga Shanghai is also Tesla’s primary vehicle export hub. In late September 2024, Giga Shanghai exported its 1 millionth vehicle.
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