Elon Musk: 'I'll shut down Tesla if Chinese spying on cars is proven'

 Elon Musk: 'I'll shut down Tesla if Chinese spying on cars is proven'

Elon Musk, the
owner of the American electric car maker Tesla, has said he will "shut down" his company if it is proved that his company's cars have been used to spy on China.

Elon Musk's statement came in response to reports that the Chinese military has banned Tesla at all its stations. The Chinese military had expressed security concerns after data collection on cameras installed in the cars.

Looking at the company's quarterly sales last year, China is the second largest market for Tesla cars after the United States.

On Saturday, Elon Musk said that if a business was hired to spy on foreign governments, it could have a very negative effect on the company.

"There are many benefits to keeping any information confidential," Elon Musk told an influential Chinese business forum via video link. "If Tesla's cars are used for espionage in China or elsewhere, we will shut down the company," he said.

For a long time, Chinese and American trading companies have faced many problems while working in each other's countries.

Relations between China and the United States, the world's two largest economies, have been strained for years. The first high-level face-to-face meeting with Chinese President Joe Biden's administration took place earlier this week. ۔ Elon Musk has stressed the need to create a climate of greater trust between China and the United States.

Citing Chinese video platform Tik Tak, he demanded that companies not be allowed to raise concerns that they are spying on their governments.

Last year, former US President Donald Trump hinted at banning Tik Tak based on concerns that the company might share data with the Chinese government.

Elon Musk said that even if it was assumed that espionage was taking place, what would the other country gain from it and what would be the use of such information for it?

Elon Musk's car company received approval in 2018 to set up a factory in Shanghai. Thus, it became the first foreign company to have a complete plant in China.

China is currently the largest car market and the Chinese government is promoting electric cars. This increase in demand made Tesla a profit of 72 721 million last year.