Tesla’s relationship with India has also suddenly become tense. Musk’s trip to China appeared to be an implicit snub of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On April 10, Musk had promised to visit India, fuelling hopes about an announcement to build a $3bn electric car plant, only to drop out 10 days later citing “very heavy Tesla obligations”. Nine days after that, he appeared in Beijing.
Longer term, experts are also worried about more clashes between his commercial interests in China and Beijing’s heavy-handed controls on free speech and any criticism of the government. Critics in the US claim he operates a double standard over China and its politics.
During his time in China, Musk used X — despite the platform being banned in the country — to share an audio clip of comedian Jerry Seinfeld bemoaning the negative influence of “the extreme left” and “PC crap” on television comedy. “Make comedy legal again!” Musk wrote, apparently unaware that his hosts in Beijing have recently cracked down on the art form."
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