Elon Musk says Tesla would be shut down if his cars were spied on in China. (FILE)
Beijing:
Elon Musk, chief executive of Tesla Inc., said Saturday that his company would shut down if its cars were used for spying, his first comments on the news that the Chinese military has banned Teslas from its facilities.
“There is a strong incentive for us to be very confidential with any information,” Musk told a prominent Chinese forum during a virtual discussion, stating that Tesla would be shut down if its vehicles were spying in China or elsewhere.
Sources told Reuters on Friday that the Chinese military has banned Tesla cars from entering their complexes, citing security concerns over the cameras installed in the vehicles.
These restrictions emerged as top Chinese and U.S. diplomats held a disputed meeting in Alaska, the first such in-person interaction since U.S. President Joe Biden took office in January.
Musk urged greater mutual trust between the two largest economies in the world. In its statements to the China Development Forum, a State Council foundation organizes a high-level business meeting.
He held a panel discussion with Xue Qikun, a Chinese scientist specializing in quantum physics who is now the head of the Southern University of Science and Technology.
In China, the world’s largest car market and a key battleground for electric vehicles, Tesla sold 147,445 vehicles last year. Still, this year it faces more competition between national rivals Nio Inc and Geely.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)