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Elon Musk has objected to the lack of reciprocity in US-China technology relations, a rare criticism from the billionaire on a sensitive issue in Beijing as US President-elect Donald Trump prepares to withdraw sanctions on TikTok in the US.
muskThe man, who has long sought to maintain close ties with Communist Party officials in China, a key market and manufacturing base for his electric car company Tesla, has been cautious in his statements about Beijing for years.
But he said on Sunday that “something needs to change” after Trump said he would “probably” extend the deadline to divest from Chinese tech group ByteDance. tiktokwhich faced sanctions under a US law that briefly forced it offline
Musk said that while he opposed banning the short-form video app on free-speech grounds, “the current situation where TikTok is allowed to operate in America, but X is not allowed to operate in China is unbalanced”.
“Something needs to change,” he said in a post on X.
Asked about Musk’s comments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said Monday that Beijing welcomes any company that abides by its laws and that Chinese groups abroad are bound by local regulations.
In response to Trump’s proposal, TikTok pushed back Start service recovery In a joint venture with the United States on Sunday, Mao said Chinese groups should “independently decide” on operations and contracts.
Musk’s criticism was mild compared to some of his more virulent attacks and recent intrusions on Western politicians. The internal politics of a country like GermanyUK and Italy.
But it highlights a potential conflict of interest between the Tesla chief’s defense of his business interests in China and the incoming president’s confidant and government efficiency czar.
Tesla generated about a quarter of its sales in the third quarter from China and exported more vehicles from its Shanghai plant to third countries.
Some analysts believe Beijing is pinning its hopes on Musk as a potential mediator with Trump, who has promised to raise tariffs on imports from China. Chinese officials have discussed it before Using musk as a broker To resolve the fate of TikTok in the US.
On Sunday, Musk also met with Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng, who President Xi Jinping will be represented At Trump’s inauguration. The presence of a senior Chinese official like Han at the inauguration of a US president is unprecedented, with Beijing usually represented by its ambassador in Washington.
“Han met with . . . Elon Musk, and welcomed US companies, including Tesla, to seize opportunities and share the fruits of China’s development,” China’s state news agency Xinhua reported.
Han met on Sunday with business leaders from the US-China Business Council and the US Chamber of Commerce, as well as Trump’s incoming vice-president JD Vance.
The Trump-Vance transition team said in a statement that Hahn and Vance discussed the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl, which successive US administrations have pressed Beijing to crack down on as well as maintain regional stability and balance trade.
US business leaders have tried to play this game in the past moderate effect In the often-volatile Sino-US relationship, a role Beijing appears keen to bolster ahead of a second Trump administration.
Han described US business as the “backbone” of relations between the countries and called on businesses to “play an active role as a bridge” in US-China relations, Xinhua reported.
