Elon Musk is one of several Western executives who visited China as it eased strict Covid controls.
Shanghai, China:
A jet belonging to Tesla CEO Elon Musk flew into Shanghai on Thursday, Chinese flight-tracking data showed, as the tycoon wraps up a trip to China that has given him hopes of expanding business in the world’s biggest market for electric vehicles. expressed.
Musk’s private jet took off from Shanghai’s Hongqiao airport just after 11 a.m. (0300 GMT), data from Umetrip, which is backed by China’s major state-owned airlines, showed.
It was bound for Austin, Texas, where Tesla is headquartered.
The business tycoon, one of the world’s richest men, is making his first trip to China in more than three years.
On Wednesday night he visited Tesla’s factory on the outskirts of Shanghai and met with employees, a post on China’s Weibo social media by Grace Tao, the car company’s global vice president, showed.
Earlier in the day he met Commerce Minister Wang Wentao in Beijing, praising China’s “vitality and promise” and expressing “full confidence in China’s market”, according to a readout.
Musk and Tesla have not issued a statement on the trip, or responded to AFP requests for comment.
The billionaire has extensive business interests in the country and on Tuesday told Foreign Minister Qin Gang that his firm was “keen to continue expanding its business in China”, according to the foreign ministry.
Musk’s work in China raised eyebrows in Washington, with President Joe Biden saying in November that the Twitter owner’s links to foreign countries were “deserving” of scrutiny.
The tycoon has also stirred controversy by suggesting the self-governing island of Taiwan should become part of China – welcomed by Chinese officials but which greatly angered Taipei.
Kasturi is one of several Western officials who visited China as the country eased strict Covid controls that largely shut it off from the world for nearly three years.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said this week that Beijing welcomed visits by international officials “to better understand China and promote mutually beneficial cooperation”.
In March, Apple CEO Tim Cook visited Beijing, saying that his company enjoyed a “symbiotic” relationship with China.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)