Elon Musk says Tesla will be shut down if its cars are spied on in China. (FILE)
Beijing:
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Inc, said on Saturday that his company would be shut down if his cars were used for spying, his initial comments on the news that the Chinese military has banned Tesla’s from its facilities.
“There is a very strong incentive for us to be very confidential with all information,” Musk said during a virtual discussion on a prominent Chinese forum, claiming that Tesla would be shut down if its vehicles were spied on in China or elsewhere. .
Sources told Reuters on Friday that the Chinese military has banned Tesla cars from accessing its complexes, citing concerns about the safety of cameras installed on the vehicles.
Those limitations came to the fore when top Chinese and US diplomats held a contentious meeting in Alaska, the first in-person interaction since US President Joe Biden took office in January.
Musk pushed for more mutual trust between the two largest economies in the world. In his comments to the China Development Forum, a high-level business meeting is being organized by a foundation under the State Council.
He held a discussion panel with Xue Qikun, a Chinese scientist specializing in quantum physics and now the head of the Southern University of Science and Technology.
In China, the world’s largest car market and a major electric vehicle battleground, Tesla sold 147,445 vehicles last year. However, it is facing more competition from domestic rivals from Nio Inc to Geely this year.
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