Musk expected to visit China this week, meet officials, sources tell Reuters

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk is expected to sojourn China this week, 3 radical with cognition of the substance said, successful what would beryllium his archetypal travel to the state successful 3 years.

Musk is expected to conscionable elder Chinese officials and to sojourn Tesla's Shanghai plant, 2 of the sources said.

It was not instantly wide who Musk would conscionable and what they would discuss. The radical with cognition of the travel declined to beryllium named arsenic the substance is private.

Tesla and China's State Council Information Office did not instantly respond to requests for comment.

Reuters reported successful March that Musk was readying a travel to China and seeking a gathering with Chinese Premier Li Qiang arsenic aboriginal arsenic April, with the nonstop timing taxable to Li's availability.

China is Tesla's second-largest marketplace aft the United States, and its Shanghai works is the electrical carmaker's largest accumulation hub.

Musk besides owns societal media level Twitter, which is banned successful China, though immoderate radical entree it via virtual backstage networks (VPNs).

The travel would people Musk's archetypal successful China since helium acceptable the net abuzz by dancing connected signifier during an lawsuit astatine Tesla's Shanghai mill successful aboriginal 2020.

It would besides travel astatine a clip erstwhile Tesla is grappling with aggregate issues, including intensifying contention with Chinese automakers that are exporting their China-made electrical vehicles arsenic request successful the world's largest car marketplace weakens.

Tesla has not yet fixed immoderate update connected its plans to summation output by 450,000 vehicles a twelvemonth astatine its Shanghai plant, though it said successful April it would physique a mill successful Shanghai to nutrient Megapack vigor retention products.

The institution has submitted plans to section authorities to grow capableness for producing powertrains astatine the Shanghai works to 1.75 cardinal units annually.

China's authorities planner has been struggling with a capableness glut successful its car manufacture with much than 100 players and has been cautions astir approving caller accumulation capacity.

Musk told CNBC earlier this period that "there are immoderate constraints connected our quality to grow successful China." He added: "It's not a request issue."

In the aforesaid interview, Musk said tensions betwixt the United States and China "should beryllium a interest for everyone."

Tesla is gathering a works successful Mexico expected to nutrient a lower-cost electrical car built connected its next-generation platform.