Premier Li Qiang, China’s second-ranking official, met with tech tycoon and Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Sunday in Beijing and pledged that China would “always” be open to international businesses.
One of the richest persons in the world, Elon Musk, made his second visit to the largest market for electric vehicles in less than a year, arriving in China earlier that day.
Chinese state television CCTV reported that Li had pledged at their meeting that the nation will support international businesses more.
“China’s very large-scale market will always be open to foreign-funded firms,” Li was quoted as saying.
“China will stick to its word and will continue working hard to expand market access and strengthen service guarantees.”
In addition, Li stated that Beijing would offer international businesses “a better business environment” so “that firms from all over the world can have peace of mind while investing in China”.
Musk visited China in May and June of last year, and he has a lot of business interests there.
When AFP asked Tesla to confirm Musk’s visit and provide his schedule, the company did not reply.
During his encounter with Li, he was described by CCTV as complimenting the “intelligent and diligent Chinese team” at his Tesla Gigafactory in Shanghai.
“Tesla is willing to take the next step in deepening cooperation with China to achieve more win-win results,” Musk allegedly stated.
Earlier in the day, the billionaire met with the head of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Ren Hongbin, “to discuss next steps in cooperation and other topics”, CCTV said.
In China, middle-class urban life has become accustomed to Tesla’s electric automobiles, despite the contentious nature of the mercurial mogul in the West.
