By Martin Quin Pollard
BEIJING (Reuters) – Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk kicked off his second day in China with a visit to the country’s commerce ministry on Wednesday morning.
A day earlier, he met with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang. He also had dinner with Zeng Yuqun, chairman of CATL, the Chinese battery giant and a key Tesla supplier, on Tuesday evening, according to a source and photos shared on social media.
Tesla and CATL did not respond to requests for comment on the meeting or on Musk’s plans in China.
Musk left his hotel on Wednesday morning accompanied by Tesla’s China-based public affairs chief Grace Tao and head of global manufacturing Tom Zhu. Musk’s car was later seen parked outside the commerce ministry.
He declined to comment at the hotel when questioned by reporters about the aim of his trip, Tesla’s prospects in China and plans for Tesla’s plant in Shanghai.
He is expected to meet other senior Chinese officials and visit the U.S. electric vehicle maker’s Shanghai plant later in the week, sources have said, though it was not clear who exactly he would meet or what issues they would discuss.
(Reporting by Martin Pollard; Additional reporting by Zhang Yan; Writing by Brenda Goh; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
