Elon Musk meets China fm, says he is open to expanding Tesla

Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, met with China's foreign minister on Tuesday, and he reportedly said he was open to expanding the automaker's business there.

A statement from the Chinese ministry mentioned the billionaire as saying he opposes decoupling, referring to fears that the world may split into multiple markets with incompatible products.

In 2019, Tesla opened the first fully foreign-owned car factory in China. The opening came after ownership restrictions were eased by the Chinese government to boost competition and speed up industry development.

The relationship between the United States and China has been strained since Washington shot down a possible Chinese spy balloon in February.

China has rejected a request from the Wall Street Journal for its defense minister to meet the U.S. defense secretary, who is in Singapore on a two-day trip.

The Biden administration is considering whether some or all of the tariffs on imported goods from China should be lifted.

China's foreign minister, China's foreign minister, said that strained relationships require mutual respect, while reassuring that foreign companies are welcome.

We need to keep the steering wheel in the right direction of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, Mr. Qin Gang said in a statement.

In a statement, Qin said, the two sides should avoid dangerous driving. He did not give any details of the steps to improve relations.

China's government said it would unswervingly promote high-level opening up and create a market-based, law-based and internationalized business environment. China's development is a potential source of economic opportunity for the world. The electric vehicle market in China has broad prospects for development, the ministry said.