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Elon Musk spoke out against the lack of reciprocity in US-China tech relations, a rare criticism of the billionaire on sensitive issues for Beijing after US President-elect Donald Trump prepared to offer a reprieve to TikTok regarding its ban in the United States.
Muskwhich has long sought to maintain close ties with Communist Party officials in China, a key market and production hub for its electric car company Tesla, has been cautious for years in its statements toward Beijing.
But he said Sunday that “something has to change” after Trump said he would “most likely” extend the deadline for Chinese tech group ByteDance to divest. TikTokwho was banned under a US law that briefly forced him 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 authorized to operate in China, is unbalanced.
“Something has to change,” he said in an article on X.
Asked about Musk’s comments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said on Monday that Beijing welcomed any company that respected its laws and that overseas Chinese groups were obliged to follow local rules. .
Responding to Trump’s proposal to push TikTok, which began to restore service In the United States on Sunday, as part of a joint venture, Mao said Chinese groups should “decide independently” on operations and agreements.
Musk’s criticism was mild compared to some of his fierce attacks on Western politicians and his recent intrusions around the world. domestic politics of countries like Germanythe United Kingdom and Italy.
But it highlighted the Tesla chief’s potential conflicts of interest between protecting his business interests in China and serving as a confidant to the new president and government efficiency czar.
Tesla made nearly a quarter of its third-quarter sales in China and exported even more vehicles from its Shanghai factory to third countries.
Some analysts believe Beijing is pinning its hopes on Musk as a potential go-between with Trump, who has pledged to raise tariffs on imports from China. Chinese officials had already discussed use Musk as a broker to resolve the fate of TikTok in the United States.
Musk also met with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on Sunday, who will represent President Xi Jinping during Trump’s inauguration. The presence of such a high-ranking Chinese official as Han is unprecedented at US presidential inaugurations, where Beijing is normally represented by its ambassador in Washington.
“Han met. . . Elon Musk, and invited American companies, including Tesla, to seize opportunities and share the fruits of China’s development,” China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported.
Han also met Sunday with business leaders from the U.S.-China Business Council and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, as well as Trump’s new vice president, JD Vance.
Han and Vance discussed the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl, which successive U.S. administrations have pushed Beijing to crack down on, as well as regional stability and balancing trade, the Trump-Vance transition team said in a press release.
In the past, American business leaders have sought to play a role moderating influence in often volatile Sino-US relations, a role Beijing appears keen to encourage ahead of the second Trump administration.
Han described U.S. companies as a “backbone” of relations between the two countries and urged companies to “play an active role as a bridge” in U.S.-China relations, Xinhua said.