Tesla CEO Elon Musk said his electric car company would be shut down if it was proven that the cars were being used for espionage. His remarks come hours after the Chinese military banned the brand’s cars from entering military housing complexes due to security concerns prompted by the presence of installers.
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“If our cars are used for spying in China or anywhere, we will close the company,” Musk said during a virtual discussion at a Chinese forum quoted by Reuters.
Those were his first words after the order issued by the Chinese military, advises the owners of cars of the American brand to park outside the residential complexes.
During his speech, Musk called for greater mutual trust between the two largest economies in the world.
“The allegations of espionage are, to put it mildly, absurd,” said car company officials.
Apart from being one of the best-selling car brands in China, Tesla also owns a manufacturing plant in the country. In 2020, the company sold 147,445 cars in the Asian country – a figure equal to 30% of the total volume.
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