BEIJING — BEIJING (AP) — Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk met with a top government leader in the Chinese capital on Sunday, just as the country’s automakers show off their latest electric vehicle models at the auto show. Beijing automobile.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang told Musk that he hopes the United States will work more with China on win-win cooperation, citing Tesla’s operations in China as a successful example of economic cooperation, the state broadcaster said. China CCTV on its main evening news programme.
For China, Musk is a welcome antidote to the harsh words of US officials, most recently speaking out during a visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Li’s comments also reflect China’s efforts to attract foreign investment to boost its ailing economy.
It was unclear whether Musk would visit the auto show, which runs through this week. Chinese automakers and startups have launched a slew of electric cars in recent years, some of which go toe-to-toe with Tesla and undercut the American manufacturer on price.
An earlier online CCTV report said Musk had come at the invitation of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and met with its president, Ren Hongbin, to exchange views on further cooperation and other issues.
Tesla has a major manufacturing base in Shanghai for both domestic sales in China and exports to Europe and other regions. It cut prices in China a week ago, dropping the Model 3 to 231,900 yuan ($32,700) and the Model Y to 249,900 yuan ($35,200), following similar reductions in the United States.
The European Union has launched an investigation into Chinese subsidies to the electric vehicle industry that could lead to tariffs on electric vehicles made in China, potentially including Tesla cars.
Green energy subsidies have helped transform the Chinese car market: Electric vehicles accounted for about a quarter of new car sales last year, reducing demand for gasoline-powered vehicles.
Foreign automakers such as Volkswagen and Nissan are scrambling to develop new electric vehicle models to maintain or regain market share in China, the world’s largest auto market.