Elon Musk Says Tesla Would Be Shut Down if Its Cars Were Used to Spy Following China Military Ban

The Chinese military has banned Tesla cars from entering its complexes, as per sources.

By Reuters | Updated: 20 March 2021 14:32 IST

Elon Musk Says Tesla Would Be Shut Down if Its Cars Were Used to Spy Following China Military Ban

Photo Credit: Reuters

Tesla CEO Elon Musk passed his remarks to the China Development Forum following the reported ban

Highlights

Tesla would be shut down if its cars spied, CEO said
Musk urged greater mutual trust between the US and China
Tesla sold 147,445 vehicles in China last year

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk said on Saturday his company would be shut down if its cars were used to spy, his first comments on news that China's military has banned Teslas from its facilities.

"There's a very strong incentive for us to be very confidential with any information," Musk told a prominent Chinese forum during a virtual discussion, asserting that Tesla would be shut down if its vehicles spied in China or anywhere else.

Sources told Reuters on Friday that the Chinese military has banned Tesla cars from entering its complexes, citing security concerns over cameras installed on the vehicles.

[Sponsored] Samsung Galaxy S24: The Ultimate Camera Phone With Smarter On-Device AI

Those restrictions surfaced as the top Chinese and US diplomats were holding a contentious meeting in Alaska, the first such in-person interaction since US President Joe Biden took office in January.

Musk urged greater mutual trust between the world's two biggest economies, in his remarks to the China Development Forum, a high-level business gathering is hosted by a foundation under the State Council.

He was holding a discussion panel with Xue Qikun, a Chinese scientist specialising in quantum physics who is now head of Southern University of Science and Technology.

Elon Musk Sued by Tesla Investor Who Claims Tweets Violate SEC Settlement

In China, the world's biggest car market and a key battleground for electric vehicles, Tesla sold 147,445 vehicles last year. However, it is facing more competition this year from domestic rivals from Nio to Geely.

Elon Musk Gains $25 Billion in Just One Day to Set a New Milestone

© Thomson Reuters 2021

What will be the most exciting tech launch of 2021? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.