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Tesla’s Elon Musk pondering China visit for potential meeting with premier: report

Credit: Teslarati

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3 years ago

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China is extremely important to Tesla, and the company’s dedicated facility in the country, Gigafactory Shanghai, already serves as the electric vehicle maker’s primary export hub. It is then important for Musk and Tesla’s leadership to ensure that the company’s operations in China are as smooth as possible. 

Citing people reportedly familiar with the matter, Reuters recently noted that Musk is planning a visit to China as early as April. As per the publication’s sources, Musk intends to meet with China Premier Li Qiang during his trip. The exact timing of the trip would then depend on the official’s availability. 

Neither Tesla nor China’s State Council Information Office has issued comments about the recent reports. 

China represents Tesla’s second-largest market after the United States, and Giga Shanghai, apart from being the company’s primary export hub, serves as the electric vehicle maker’s largest plant by volume. The plant produces Model 3 sedans and Model Y crossovers that are sold domestically and exported to other countries. 

If the reports prove accurate, this would be the first time Musk would visit China since the pandemic started. It would also be Musk’s first visit since Xi Jinping secured a third term as China’s president.  

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Musk’s most recent visit to China was in early 2020 during Giga Shanghai’s first customer delivery event. The event became quite noteworthy on the internet after Musk performed an impromptu dance onstage. Despite not visiting the country physically, however, Musk has made his presence felt in the country by participating virtually at forums like China’s World Internet Conference.

Musk and Li are no strangers to each other. The two have met before at the 2019 opening of the Shanghai facility. The Premier previously held the position of Shanghai’s party secretary, overseeing the construction and inauguration of the Tesla factory. And in 2020, they took part in online meetings where Musk expressed gratitude for Li’s support of the plant during the pandemic.

Elon Musk’s reported visit coincides with China’s efforts to attract more foreign investment to boost its economy, which has been impacted by several years of COVID restrictions. Li has been a prominent figure in these efforts, recently addressing business events attended by executives from prominent companies such as Apple and Pfizer.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

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Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Investor's Corner

Elon Musk’s 2025 pay package gets support from Tesla’s biggest bull

ARK Invest founder Cathie Wood has previously stated that she is quite confident that the vote on Elon Musk’s 2025 Performance Award would pass.

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1 minute ago

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October 31, 2025

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Credit: Tesla Singapore/X

Cathie Wood, CEO of ARK Invest and one of Tesla’s most ardent bulls, reiterated her support for Elon Musk’s 2025 CEO Performance Award. 

Wood highlighted that Musk’s leadership attracts incredible talent, and it has allowed the companies he leads such as Tesla to become disruptors in their respective fields.

ARK Invest supports Musk’s leadership

Elon Musk’s 2025 CEO Performance Award has received a mixed reception. Proxy firms such as Glass Lewis and Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) have stated that they would be voting against Musk’s pay package. Other entities, such as the State Board of Administration of Florida (SBA), have stated that they would be voting in favor of Tesla’s proposals. 

ARK Invest founder Cathie Wood, for her part, has previously stated that she is quite confident that the vote on Elon Musk’s 2025 Performance Award would pass. She also stated that a favorable result to the vote for Musk’s 2025 pay plan would be beneficial for Tesla.

“Elon Musk is the most productive human being on earth. And a human being who attracts incredible talent, people who want to solve the world’s hardest problems. This is a win-win for all of us if Elon succeeds this time,” Wood stated. Musk appreciated Wood’s comments, stating, “Thanks Cathie!” In a post on X.

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ARK Invest has been one of Tesla’s most loyal bulls

Tesla is ARK Invest’s single largest holding, with the firm holding an estimated $1 billion worth of TSLA, as noted in an Insider report. Wood previously said she expects the approval of Musk’s pay package to trigger “super-exponential growth” for the automaker, as new products like the Cybercab and Optimus expand Tesla’s offerings.

“Because think about it. It is a convergence among three of our major platforms. So, robots, energy storage, AI, and it’s not stopping with Robotaxis. There’s a story beyond that with humanoid robots, and our $2,600 number has nothing for humanoid robots. We just thought it’d be an investment, period,” Wood stated during an appearance at Steven Bartlett’s podcast The Diary Of A CEO.

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Investor's Corner

Tesla VP for AI software makes a case for upcoming Elon Musk shareholder vote

Elluswamy reiterated the idea that Tesla is indeed at a critical point in its history.

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25 minutes ago

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October 31, 2025

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla’s Director of Autopilot Software and VP of AI Software Ashok Elluswamy has shared his thoughts about CEO Elon Musk’s 2025 performance award. While the executive typically discusses topics related to the company’s tech and AI initiaives, Elluswamy made it a point to make a case for Musk’s proposed pay package. 

Tesla’s VP for AI Software shares his insights 

In a post on X, Elluswamy reiterated the idea that Tesla is indeed at a critical point in its history. This is because the company is changing from a leader in electric vehicles and a major player in the energy storage market to a powerhouse pioneer in robotics that are powered by real-world AI.  As per the executive, Elon Musk’s leadership of Tesla is more relevant now more than ever. He also reported an X article he previously wrote about Elon Musk and Tesla.

“This note regarding the importance of Elon leading Tesla is more relevant now than ever. Tesla is at a critical juncture, as it is metamorphosing into the world leader in robotics. Creating large-scale, useful robots requires expertise across engineering design, manufacturing, real-world AI software, chips for AI, and more. Elon is, quite likely, the only person on Earth with deep skills and the right instincts across all these domains,” Elluswamy stated.

A push to support Musk’s 2025 performance award

In recent weeks, Tesla executives such as Board Chair Robyn Denholm have been encouraging TSLA shareholders to vote in favor of Elon Musk’s 2025 performance award, as well as other proposals that the company’s directors have argued are critical to the future of the company. These proposals, Tesla executives noted, are necessary to ensure that the company can achieve the ambitious targets of Elon Musk’s Master Plan Part IV. 

Elon Musk’s pay package, as well as the company’s proposals, would be decided at the upcoming 2025 Annual Shareholders Meeting, which would be held at Giga Texas on November 6, 2025. Needless to say, Tesla’s future might very well be decided during the event. 

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Elon Musk

Tesla Cybercab steering wheel dilemma gets final answer from Elon Musk

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2 hours ago

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October 31, 2025

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Credit: Tesla/YouTube

Tesla Cybercab is the company’s autonomy-geared automobile that will eventually begin the phase-out of human drivers. In recent days, however, there has been speculation regarding the vehicle’s equipment and whether it would be fitted with a typical steering wheel and pedals.

CEO Elon Musk put an end to this discussion, at least for now, as he maintains the vehicle will not have anything that would remotely resemble any possibility of any sort of manual operation.

The problem is, there is a flaw in his logic, and his justification for the reasoning is an opinion. But Musk has a special ability; he has the final say on what goes on at Tesla, and if he does or doesn’t want manual controls in the new vehicle, he’ll get his way.

On the All In Podcast on Friday, Musk gave his final answer to whether the Cybercab would have a steering wheel or pedals by stating it would not when the production units start rolling off lines in Q2 2026.

He provided a further explanation:

“The reality is, people may think they want to drive their car, but the reality is that they don’t. How many times have you been in an Uber or Lyft and said ‘I wish I could take over for the driver, get off my phone, and drive to my destination? 0.0 times.”

Although the units that have been spotted on public roads in recent days are equipped with a steering wheel and pedals, it is because Tesla is testing the vehicle in real-world situations, and manual controls are required for it.

Tesla Cybercab spotted testing on public roads for the first time

Some Tesla fans in the community have said that the car seems more geared toward being suitable for manual operation as opposed to a fully autonomous vehicle primed for driverless ride-hailing.

Earlier this week, Tesla Board Chair Robyn Denholm said that if the company had to put a steering wheel or pedals into the Cybercab, it would.

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