Beijing Says Musk Opposes Decoupling of U.S., China

China’s foreign ministry said Elon Musk told officials in Beijing that he opposes decoupling the world’s two biggest economies, in a meeting held shortly after the Tesla chief executive arrived in the country.

In a statement released Tuesday evening, Musk was quoted by Chinese officials as having told Foreign Minister Qin Gang that the interests of the two countries were intertwined and inseparable, like “conjoined twins.” The ministry published a photo of Qin and Musk shaking hands.

Musk’s trip to China — one of Tesla’s most important retail markets and home to its biggest manufacturing plant — is his first in over three years, following the onset of the pandemic.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Qin likened China-U. S. relations to driving a Tesla vehicle, which requires holding the steering wheel correctly, stepping on the brakes at the right time, avoiding dangerous driving and using the gas pedal appropriately, according to a readout from the ministry. Tesla didn’t respond to a request for comment. Grace Tao, a Tesla executive who heads up external affairs for its China operations, reposted the foreign ministry’s statement on her social-media account on China’s Weibo platform.

Musk joins a list of foreign CEOs, including Apple’s Tim Cook and Pfizer’s Albert Bourla, who in recent months have paid visits to China to meet senior officials and visit local facilities.

Last year, Musk hosted Qin at Tesla’s factory in Fremont, Calif., while Qin was the Chinese ambassador to the U.S.

Decoupling has become a buzzword among foreign executives and policy experts, used to refer to the unwinding of deep economic and commercial ties between the U.S. and China that have been built up over the years. U.S. officials have said the U.S. isn’t seeking to decouple from China, but safeguard its technological interests.

Tesla has doubled down on China, announcing in April that it plans to build a second factory in Shanghai to produce its Megapack energy storage product.

In the past, Musk has lavished praise on China, calling its economic prosperity truly amazing and hailing its data laws. Some of Musk’s ties to China have prompted unease in Washington.

Musk is expected to visit Tesla’s Shanghai factory later this week, people familiar with the matter said.

Tesla enjoyed a period of booming car sales in the world’s biggest automobile market after setting up its gigafactory in Shanghai in 2019 as the first wholly owned foreign carmaker in China. The company now faces intense competition from local rivals, who can offer a range of comparable electric vehicles at lower prices as the Chinese car industry market grows more mature.

Tesla’s market share in China has fallen by almost a third, to 10% last year from around 15% in 2020, according to data from China Passenger Car Association.

More than half of the car maker’s electric cars delivered globally last year were made in China and the Chinese market contributed to about 22% of its revenue, with almost 440,000 EVs sold in the country, according to Chinese industry data and company filings.

Tesla’s presence in China also helped fuel China’s EV industry, with eight in 10 cars sold in the country made by homegrown brands last year. Chinese EV maker BYD has surpassed Tesla in sales both in China and globally.

生词记录

decouple 使分开，使脱离

quote 引用，引述，援引

intertwine 缠结，缠绕在一起，紧密关联

inseparable （事物）分不开的，不可分的

conjoined 结合的，联合的，连接在一起的

plant 植物；工厂

onset 开端，发生

linken sb/sth to sb/sth 认为…与…相像

steering wheel 方向盘

brake 刹车，制动器，车闸

gas pedal 油门踏板

readout 输出，读出，显示，打印

repost 转发

ambassador 大使

buzzword 流行语，热词，流行术语

unwind 解开，打开，松开；放松，轻松

lavish sth on sb/sth 为…倾注，为…挥霍

prosperity 成功，繁荣，昌盛

hail 把···称赞为，把···誉为

prompt 提词，提白；促使，导致，激起

booming 繁荣的，迅速发展的

comparable 类似的，相当的，可比的

EV Electric Vehicle 简写，电动汽车

fuel 燃料；加剧，增加，刺激

surpass 优于，超过