American billionaire Elon Musk, owner of the Tesla car company, arrived in China on Sunday, state television said, his second visit in a year to the country that is the largest market for electric vehicles.
"At the invitation of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrived in Beijing this afternoon," China Central Television (CCTV) said. The visit was not announced in advance.
CCTV reported that Elon Musk met with Brian Hongbin, chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, "to discuss the next steps of cooperation and other issues.
He also met with a senior trade official, according to CCTV, with whom he posted a photo at the Chinese state-owned Diaoyutai Guest House.
Musk said on Sunday, according to media close to the ruling regime, "It's good to see electric vehicles progressing in China," stressing that "all cars will be electric in the future.
The Chinese market is a focus of great interest for Elon Musk, whose last visit to the country dates back to June 2023.
Tesla, the company specializing in electric vehicles that Musk co-founded, did not confirm the billionaire's visit and the itinerary of his upcoming tour in China to AFP.
Elon Musk is considered a controversial figure in the West, especially after his purchase of the social networking site "X", formerly known as "Twitter". But he is admired in China, where his company's vehicles are popular in cities.
His visit comes amid a fierce price war in the sector, which is witnessing intense competition and in which China is somewhat ahead. It also coincides with the Beijing auto show.
After once disparaging Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers, Musk has changed his tune, describing them as "the most competitive car companies in the world" by 2024.
In the last quarter of 2023, the Chinese company Build Your Dreams (BYD) overtook Tesla to become the largest company selling electric vehicles in the world.
Tesla regained the lead in the first quarter of 2024, but Build Your Dreams remained at the top of sales in the Chinese market.
The American company is facing difficulties in China, where it was forced to recall more than 1.6 million electric vehicles in January due to a software problem.
Since Musk's arrival, several speculations have been circulating on the Chinese social network Weibo. Many expect him to attend the auto show in the capital.
One user expected that even the billionaire would test a car model of the Chinese technology giant "Xiaomi", which was unveiled earlier in the year 2024.
The CEO of the Chinese company, Li Jun, announced in April that pre-orders for the "SU7" model were three to five times higher than expected.
Others believe that Musk came to China to discuss with officials in Beijing the possibility of marketing self-driving technology developed by Tesla in the Chinese market.
One Weibo user said that "self-driving technology is Tesla's last hope to save its sales" in China.
The importance Elon Musk attaches to China is raising questions in Washington. In November 2022, US President Joe Biden said that the billionaire's relations with foreign countries "deserve" consideration.
The American billionaire, who in addition to Tesla owns SpaceX and X, caused controversy by saying that the island of Taiwan should join Chinese territory, statements that were welcomed by Beijing and denounced by Taipei for its part.
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