Musk’s Twitter silence in China his longest yet
Beijing, June 1 (EFE).- Tesla owner Elon Musk wrapped up his China trip on Thursday, during which his Twitter handle fell silent, marking his longest break from the social media platform since June 2022.
Musk, who owns the social media platform, is known for his prolific tweeting. He had tweeted every day in 2023 until he landed in China on May 30.
The conspicuous absence from the network attracted attention since China bans several foreign social media networks, including Twitter and Facebook. However, the platforms become accessible by virtual private networks (VPNs).
Notably, personal use of VPNs is illegal in China. But enforcement is inconsistent. It could have played a role in Musk’s decision not to tweet during his visit.
The information about his meetings and other engagements in the country was shared by Chinese officials on state-run media outlets.
Musk resumed his Twitter activity as soon as he took off from Shanghai in his private jet. His first tweet after the hiatus was related to his space exploration firm SpaceX.
During his three-day visit, Musk met with Chinese officials and local business leaders. He visited Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory, the company’s largest production facility outside the United States.
The American billionaire noted that the “interests of the United States and China are intertwined, like Siamese twins, who are inseparable from each other.”
“Tesla opposes ‘decoupling and breaking chains’ and is willing to continue to expand its business in China and share China’s development opportunities,” he said.
Among the officials, Musk met included Foreign Minister Qin Gang, Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, and Industry and Technological Information Minister Jin Zhuanglong.
The businessman expressed his interest in developing environmentally friendly products specifically for the Chinese market, showing his commitment to the needs of the country.
No concrete deals were revealed and official announcements were made regarding the expansion of the Shanghai factory during his visit.
However, the visit is expected to lay the groundwork for future Tesla investments in China.
In 2019, Tesla opened its first Gigafactory outside the United States in Shanghai. The plant delivered 710,000 vehicles in 2022, which was half of the company’s global delivery, according to the official Global Times newspaper.
In April, the American company announced that it would open a new factory in Shanghai to produce its Megapack energy storage batteries used to stabilize electricity grids and prevent power outages.
The new Tesla plant in Shanghai will have a production capacity of about 10,000 Megapack batteries per year, according to the company. EFE
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