Musk says Beijing doesn't want him to sell Starlink in China

BEIJING — Elon Musk told the Financial Times the Chinese authorities doesn't privation him to merchantability his Starlink outer net work successful China.

"Musk says Beijing has made wide its disapproval of his recent rollout of Starlink, SpaceX's outer communications system, successful Ukraine to assistance the subject circumvent Russia's cut-off of the internet," the paper said successful its latest "Lunch with the FT" file published Friday.

"He says Beijing sought assurances that helium would not merchantability Starlink successful China," the nonfiction said.

The FT did not accidental whether Musk agreed to Beijing's request. The concern leader, who is CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, did not instantly respond to a CNBC petition for comment.

Musk's electrical car elephantine Tesla relies connected China for much than 20% of its gross and has a ample mill successful Shanghai.

In opposition to the U.S. and different countries' condemnation of Russia's penetration of Ukraine this year, China has refused to telephone the onslaught an invasion.

China has successful caller years enactment greater accent connected gathering up its ain technology, including successful aerospace.

Domestic telecom giants, specified arsenic China Mobile and Huawei, person helped China execute 1 of the highest penetrations of 5G net successful the world.

In addition, China completed its ain outer communications system, Beidou, successful 2020. The strategy rivals the U.S. government-owned GPS, oregon Global Positioning System.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology did not instantly respond to a CNBC petition for comment.

The FT said Musk expects Tesla would beryllium caught up successful "inevitable" struggle implicit Taiwan, but volition inactive beryllium capable to present to customers successful China.

Beijing considers the democratically self-ruled land portion of its territory and has repeatedly stated its purpose for peaceful reunification.

Musk said his proposal "would beryllium to fig retired a peculiar administrative portion for Taiwan that is reasonably palatable, astir apt won't marque everyone happy," the FT reported.

Asked to respond to Musk's Taiwan recommendation, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs successful China said: "We stay committed to the basal rule of peaceful reunification and One Country, Two Systems and purpose to enactment with the top sincerity and effort to execute peaceful reunification"

"At the aforesaid time, we volition resolutely decision attempts to prosecute the 'Taiwan independence' separatist agenda, propulsion backmost interference by outer forces, and safeguard our sovereignty and territorial integrity," the spokesperson said Saturday astatine a regular property briefing.

Qin Gang, China's ambassador to the U.S., thanked Musk for the thought successful a tweet.

Read the afloat FT interrogation here.

— CNBC's Arjun Kharpal contributed to this report.