Congress Should Investigate Elon Musk’s Business Ties with China
The Daily BeastNov 23, 2022
The Facts
On Friday, Reuters — citing two anonymous sources — reported that Tesla CEO Elon Musk is planning to visit China as early as April to meet with newly-appointed Premier Li Qiang.
China is Tesla's second-largest market after the US, and its Shanghai plant is the electric carmaker's largest production hub. A visit from Musk would mark the first since the outbreak of COVID and since Xi Jinping secured a third term as China's president.
The Spin
Narrative A
Musk, reliant on the Chinese market for Tesla's growth, is becoming dangerously intertwined with the Chinese Communist Party, and Congress has a duty to investigate. Amid rising tensions between Beijing and Washington, any misstep by Musk — who controls one of the most powerful social media platforms — could threaten free speech, privacy, national security, and US foreign policy goals.
Narrative B
China is the world's largest market for electric vehicles, accounting for about two-thirds of all EV sales globally, and it’s Musk’s right to forge closer business relations with the country. While some view business interactions with China as "aiding the enemy," Musk rightly recognizes it as a necessary strategy to maintain global competitiveness, which is paramount to Washington's desired leverage over Beijing.
