Thu, 23 Jun 22 12:22:47 +0000

Tesla is still fighting suspected spies in China

London (CNN Business)Tesla cars are part of China as authorities ban them from sensitive areas, including beaches A resort town where a gathering of top leadershipcould be held next month.

Automakers reportedly spy on cars despite repeatedpersonal guaranteesfromCEO Elon Musk{ We continue to face deep distrust from the authorities as to whether it can be used. 17}

ReutersMonday,Tesla (TSLA)Cars entering Beijing A beach resort near Beijing , which reportedly was banned, quoted an unidentified local traffic police officer for at least two months from July. The town has traditionally hosted, the country's most powerful politicianannual summer gathering, but the date of the summit is usually not open to the public. Tesla drivers were also suspended from using certain roads in Chengdu earlier this month when President Xi Jinping was visiting a large city in southwestern China, according to Reuters.

The authorities of Qinhuangdao and Chengdu, which manage the Beidaihe River, did not immediately respond to inquiries from CNN Business, but Tesla did not respond to requests for comment.

TuLe, the founder of Beijing-based consulting firm SinoAutoInsights, has heard from Tesla owners who live in Beidaihe or visit resorts frequently that they may not be able to drive. Said. Soon their car is there.

Recently, Chinese government officials have been dissatisfied with the data collected by Tesla's dashcams.

Since last year, some Chinese government ministries have banned Tesla from entering Beijing's offices and regularly visit these agencies for business talks with officials. A source told CNN. The source asked not to name it because of the sensitivity of the subject.

Similarly, Chinese troops reportedly bannedTesla vehicles from entering the complex for fear of potential leaks of sensitive information.

Le said the report on the latest restrictions was not particularly surprising given these concerns.

"For me, this is just a continuation of the current policy," he told CNN Business.

Tesla addressed concerns directly and promised to retain data collected from cars sold locally within the Chinese border.

Last May, the company announceda new data center in mainland China, and plans to "add more" to China in the future.

Musk has also personally reassured the Chinese government, met with officials, and sought to launch a compelling attack in the local media.

"There is a very strong incentive to keep information confidential," said the world's wealthiest man at a government-sponsored conference last March.

"If Tesla spies on a car in China or elsewhere, we'll be shut down," he added.

However, these guarantees do not seem to be adequate.

"It's a very delicate time," Le said. "So I think every precaution has been taken."

China's ruling Communist Party is currently preparing for thekey meetingin the fall, and Xi It is expected to officially enter the historic third phase. It continues to facegrowing tensions with the United Statesover issues such as Russia's war in Ukraine and growing criticism of the unwavering"Zero Corona" policy. Because.

China is critical

Mask, known for his candid remarks on Twitter, especially, Le said. , Mentioned potential restraints on his company in China.

"If this were another country, Elon would have a seizure," he said. "His silence tells me the volume."

China is very important to Tesla. It served as a huge production base for automakers and accounted forquartersof last year's revenue, which is the percentage of masks expected to swell. Last year, CEO predicted that the country would eventually become the "largest market".

But Tesla faced a series of headwinds in China this year. This was mainly due to a two-month strictblockade in Shanghaithe company's Giga Factory in the city wasclosedwas a few weeks, but April. Sales atwere almost flat atas more people stayed at home.

Mask critics also said that his Tesla interest in China was in other parts of his vast empire, including his space exploration venture, and potentiallyTwitter {102. } (TWTR)When the platformtakeoveris complete.

Some scholars say that, for example, if a businessman becomes a new owner of a social media network, he could be pressured to push down criticism of China around the world. Expressing concern. For maintaining Tesla's position in the world's largest car market.

Mask also assisted the Ukrainian Armywithhis Starlink Internet satellite system. This has caused suspicions in China's state media. Some users of Chinese social media are wondering where the CEO's political loyalty lies.

"Every leverage point is about to be abused," Le said.

In recent years, Musk has also outlined an ambitious goal of producing 20 million cars by 2030.

But "most of his world domination goals are in China," he said. "Not only from a demand perspective, but also from market access, manufacturing, and friendly policies towards Tesla."

— CNN's Beijing bureau, Steven Jiang and Laura, wrote in this report. Contributed.