By CHEN Xiaotong

Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, stopping off for talks before a visit to the Shanghai factory.

A spokeswoman for China’s foreign ministry said the government welcomed Musk - and other business leaders - looking to promote "mutually beneficial cooperation."

Tesla delivered 1.31 million EVs last year, over 710,000 of which were made in Shanghai. The factory is planning to add a battery line and increase EV production.

Musk last visited China in January 2020, to celebrate the delivery of the first Model 3. His odd dance moves were widely circulated on Chinese social media at the time.

Tesla sold 148,000 cars in China that year. The number tripled to 439,000 last year, but the landscape has changed a lot since Musk’s last visit. BYD overtook Tesla last year in EV sales after three years of Tesla leading the pack.

In a TV interview in 2011, Musk could not stop laughing about BYD. When the anchor asked whether BYD was competitive, Musk, still laughing, said no. But ahead of the China trip, Musk reflected on that clip and said: “That was many years ago. Their cars are highly competitive these days.”