In 1953, Mao Zedong decided to establish his summer capital in Beidaihe, a coastal town located about 300 kilometers east of Beijing. Since then, with hardly any exceptions, the leadership of the Communist Party (PCCh) moves to this enclave every year to enjoy the good weather and relax for a few weeks. An armored retreat from the eyes of others in which they also debate ideology, weave new policies and negotiate the distribution of power in the face of events such as the next XX National Congress, which in the fall will shape the future Chinese leadership.
Given the importance of this summer recollection, all security is little. That is why, according to a local official, the authorities have even prohibited Tesla electric cars from circulating in Beidaihe this year for at least two months from July 1. He did not detail the exact reasons for the restriction, but he did say that it is related to "national issues."
It is not the first time that Elon Musk's famous company has been targeted by the Chinese security services. Earlier this month, several videos emerged on local social networks showing how cars of this brand are prohibited from circulating in some areas of Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan, coinciding with a visit by President Xi Jinping.
In March last year, it was also said that the Chinese military was banning Tesla cars from its facilities due to security concerns over cameras installed in the vehicles, which make tasks such as parking easier and are crucial to the function of the vehicle. autopilot. The measure would also have been adopted later by some state industries and government offices.
Taken together, these reports suggest that Chinese officials fear that data collected by in-vehicle cameras – images of sensitive buildings, license plates, etc. – could end up in the wrong hands, in the case of US authorities. .
According to The Financial Times, China does not like the ambitious Starlink satellite internet program developed by SpaceX, another of Musk's companies. The company plans to put some 12,000 satellites into orbit, including those it deployed to help Ukraine after the Russian invasion.
In December, Chinese diplomats complained that some of these devices forced their space station to maneuver to avoid a dangerous collision. And last month, the Chinese military publication China Military attacked SpaceX's ties to the US military. “There is a high probability that Starlink will be exploited by a United States busy maintaining its hegemony to lead the world into chaos or disaster,” the publication stated.
The growing suspicions of the Chinese authorities towards Musk's businesses diverge from the excellent reception they gave him in 2019, when Tesla opened its first gigafactory in Shanghai, the first outside the United States. At the time, China subsidized the construction of the facility and allowed it to operate without partnering with a local manufacturer, a common requirement for foreign companies.
Musk, who enjoys great admiration among the Chinese and spares no praise for them, has long since said that Tesla does not spy in China or anywhere else. His main argument is that by doing so they risk being squeezed out of a vital market that accounts for around 30% of their global sales. To save themselves trouble, last year they announced that all the data generated by their vehicles in the Asian giant will be stored on local servers.
However, his decision does not seem to have been enough to dispel all doubts, which added to the growing restrictions and the increase in competition from increasingly powerful local rivals –NIO, Xpeng or BYD– predict a future full of challenges in one of its most promising markets.
