Elon Musk says Tesla would be shut down if its cars spied in China. (FILE)
Beijing:
Tesla Inc. chief executive Elon Musk said Saturday that his company would be shut down if its cars were used to spy, his first comments on news that the Chinese military had banned Tesla from its facilities.
“There is a very strong incentive for us to be very confidential with any information,” Musk told a major Chinese forum during a virtual discussion, saying Tesla would be shut down if its vehicles spied in China or elsewhere.
Sources told Reuters on Friday that the Chinese military had banned Tesla cars from entering its complexes, citing security concerns about the cameras installed on the vehicles.
These restrictions emerged as top diplomats in China and the United States held a controversial meeting in Alaska, the first such in-person interaction since US President Joe Biden took office in January.
Musk called for greater mutual trust between the world’s two largest economies, in his remarks to the China Development Forum, a high-level business meeting is hosted by a state council foundation.
He held a panel discussion with Xue Qikun, a Chinese scientist specializing in quantum physics, who is now the head of the Southern University of Science and Technology.
In China, the world’s largest car market and a key battleground for electric vehicles, Tesla sold 147,445 vehicles last year. However, it faces more competition this year from internal rivals from Nio Inc to Geely.
(This story was not edited by NDTV staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated stream.)