China Accuses Elon Musk and Tesla of Spying
According to reports by Reuters, cars manufactured by the American company Tesla have been banned in the Chinese army - they cannot be driven into military facilities and key corporations owned by the authorities. The reason is said to be concerns about espionage.
IN A NUTSHELL:
- All indications are that Chinese authorities have banned owners if Tesla cars from driving the cars inside military bases and headquarters of important state-owned companies;
- The reason is supposed to be the fear of espionage;
- The decision was made shortly after a meeting between representatives of the Chinese and American istrations;
- Nearly 30% of Teslas sold last year went to China.
The Washington Journal reports that the Chinese authorities have decided to ban drivers of Tesla cars from entering military bases and headquarters of key state-owned companies. The reason are alleged security issues - the Chinese are afraid that the cameras installed in these cars can be used for espionage.
According to some experts (including Pavel Molchanov, analyst at Raymond James & Associates, and Michael Dunne, consulting director at ZoZo Go), the restrictions may be a kind of a response to the steps taken by the previous US istration against Huawei.
“China has an array of tools - some direct, some indirect - for putting the heavy on foreign companies like Tesla. The pressure can come from any direction, for any reason at any time," Michael Dunne said in a statement for Reuters.
The move was made shortly after talks between representatives of the US and China in Alaska (it was the first such meeting after the swearing in of the new US president, Joe Biden). It is worth noting that Tesla cars are very popular in China - last year Elon Musk's company sold more than 147 thousand cars in the country (this is 30% of all cars delivered to customers in that period).
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