Barely a week after he canceled his planned trip to India and meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi due to "very heavy Tesla obligations" Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrived in China for an unannounced visit.
The visit to China coincides with the 2024 Beijing Auto Show, which started on Thursday.
The visit also comes amid speculations that Musk may unveil Tesla's autonomous driving technology in the electric vehicle (EV) market in China. Tesla maker rolled out full self-driving four years ago. However, the company is yet to make this available in China.
According to a Reuters report, Musk, who reached Beijing on Sunday, is likely to meet senior company officials to discuss rolling out full self-driving software and permission to transfer data overseas.
Musk reportedly met Chinese Premier Li Qiang and discussed future expansion plans for his automobile company.
According to a CTGN report, Musk arrived in China at the invitation of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade. South China Morning Post reported that Musk may meet senior Chinese officials at the State Council and "old friends" in Beijing.
China is Tesla's second-largest market. The company has sold more than 1.7 million cars in China since it entered the market in 2012. The visit also comes even as the company is facing increased competition from local EV makers.
On Monday, postponing his planned visit to India, Musk had tweeted: "Unfortunately, very heavy Tesla obligations require that the visit to India be delayed, but I do very much look forward to visiting later this year."
