Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Sunday hailed U.S. electric carmaker Tesla's development in China as a successful example of the win-win cooperation between China and the United States.
In a meeting with Tesla's founder and CEO Elon Musk at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, Li called Musk an old friend and said he has been paying close attention to Musk's entrepreneurial undertakings, including the operations at Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory, since their last virtual meeting in 2020.
"Back then, you told me about Tesla's development, which has stayed with me all this time. You said you were aiming for an output of 400,000 Tesla electric vehicle (EV) units annually with the hope that the Shanghai factory would reach 200,000 units in annual production. According to what I have learned recently, the Shanghai Gigafactory's annual production hit 950,000 units last year, accounting for half of all Tesla EVs," said Li.
Li added that Tesla's establishment of a research and development innovation center and an energy-storage battery factory in Shanghai reflects Musk's confidence in the long-term growth potential of the Chinese market, calling Tesla's development in China a successful example of China-U.S. economic and trade cooperation.
Musk, for his part, said the Shanghai Gigafactory is Tesla's "best-performing factory" in the world, and stressed that the company is willing to deepen cooperation with China.
During their meeting, the Chinese premier also mentioned Musk's son, X, who turns four this year and has accompanied his father on his latest trip to China, with Li saying he would like to meet the young boy.
Li later hosted an evening banquet in honor of Musk.
Earlier in the day, Musk met with Ren Hongbin, head of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, to discuss next steps in bilateral cooperation and other topics.
Musk's Sunday trip marked his second visit to China in less than a year, highlighting the importance he attaches to the China market.
Tesla has delivered more than 1.7 million EVs since it entered China a decade ago, with the country standing as Tesla's second-largest global market and the Shanghai factory being the EV marker's biggest global plant, according to data.
Tesla's development in China example of Sino-US win-win cooperation: premier
Tesla's development in China example of Sino-US win-win cooperation: premier
