Elon Musk praises Xi Jinping as a 'great leader', cites rising prosperity in China

Tesla CEO Elon Musk described Chinese President Xi Jinping as a great leader in an interview with the state broadcaster CCTV, according to CGTN. Musk stated that under Xi's leadership, China has experienced immense prosperity, evident from the new buildings and infrastructure across the country. The Tesla CEO also noted that one could observe this increased prosperity simply by walking around the streets of China.

Musk praised the team at Tesla's Shanghai factory, calling them incredibly talented, hardworking, and trustworthy. The Shanghai factory, Tesla's largest overseas manufacturing base, Musk referred to as a gem and beautiful, if anyone has ever visited. Musk has significant business ties with China, raising concerns in Washington due to his control over SpaceX, a major contractor for the Pentagon and US intelligence agencies.

Musk joined other tech and business leaders at a White House state dinner hosted by US President Donald Trump for Xi, where tech leaders like Nvidia's Jensen Huang, AMD's Lisa Su, Apple's Tim Cook, and others sat at the head table.