Elon Musk visits China amid Tesla's push for self-driving technology deployment

Musk's trip to China follows his cancellation of a planned visit to India due to Tesla's commitments.

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, made an unannounced visit to Beijing on April 28, to reportedly discuss the rollout of Full Self-Driving software and seek permission to transfer data collected in China abroad.

Chinese state media reported that he met with Premier Li Qiang, who praised Tesla's development in China as a successful example of US-China economic cooperation.

Although Tesla introduced Full Self-Driving (FSD) software four years ago, it has not yet been made available in China, despite being the company's second-largest market globally. Musk recently indicated that FSD may soon be accessible to customers in China.

Musk is seeking approval to transfer data gathered in China abroad to train algorithms for Tesla's autonomous driving technologies. Since 2021, Tesla has stored all Chinese fleet data in Shanghai as per Chinese regulations and has not sent any data back to the United States.

Musk's visit was not publicly announced, and the source who disclosed the information spoke on condition of anonymity. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV did not mention whether Musk and Li discussed FSD or data during their meeting.

During his visit, Musk also met with Ren Hongbin, who heads the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the organizer of the Beijing auto show. Musk expressed optimism about the future of electric vehicles in China, stating that all cars will eventually be electric.

Musk's trip to China follows his cancellation of a planned visit to India due to Tesla's commitments. Tesla recently announced layoffs amid falling sales and increased competition in the electric vehicle market.

The visit coincides with the Beijing auto show, where Tesla does not have a booth this year. Other industry leaders, such as GM CEO Mary Barra, have also made appearances at the event.

Tesla's vice president in China, Grace Tao, published a commentary arguing that autonomous driving technologies would drive growth in the EV industry. She highlighted Tesla's leadership in autonomous driving research and development.

Musk has previously announced plans for new, cheaper models and a "robotaxi" with self-driving technology. Tesla's stock has declined this year, and the company reported its first quarterly revenue decline since 2020.