Musk Praises Xi as Great Leader in Interview with Chinese State Television

BEIJING, Sept 23 - Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk hailed Chinese President Xi Jinping as a "great leader" in an interview with Chinese state television network CCTV on Wednesday. Musk praised China's "immense prosperity" under Xi's leadership, pointing to the construction of new buildings and infrastructure across the country. He also noted the increased prosperity among average Chinese citizens, as evidenced by street life.

Musk's remarks come ahead of a White House state dinner hosted by President Donald Trump for Xi on Thursday, where other US CEOs are expected to attend. Xi is scheduled to meet with Trump on Thursday, marking the second summit this year between the leaders of the world's two largest economies. Musk further complimented Tesla's Shanghai manufacturing hub, calling the team "incredibly talented, hardworking, and trustworthy".

He described Tesla's Shanghai factory as "a gem" and "beautiful" if visitors have had the chance to see it. Musk had previously ruled out the idea of separating Tesla's China operations ahead of a potential merger with SpaceX. August sales of Model 3 and Model Y vehicles produced at Tesla's Shanghai plant, the company's largest export hub globally, rose 3.6% year-on-year, but the growth was slower compared to the previous month, highlighting the discrepancy in trends across Tesla's major markets.