Musk says Beijing would not need him to promote Starlink in China: FT report

Elon Musk advised the FT that Beijing would not need him to promote his Starlink satellite tv for pc web service in China. On this image, Musk speaks about Starlink at Cellular World Congress in June 2021.

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BEIJING — Elon Musk advised the Monetary Instances the Chinese language authorities would not need him to promote his Starlink satellite tv for pc web service in China.

“Musk says Beijing has made clear its disapproval of his current rollout of Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite tv for pc communications system, in Ukraine to assist the army circumvent Russia’s cut-off of the web,” the newspaper mentioned in its newest “Lunch with the FT” column printed Friday.

“He says Beijing sought assurances that he wouldn’t promote Starlink in China,” the article mentioned.

The FT didn’t say whether or not Musk agreed to Beijing’s request. The enterprise chief, who’s CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, didn’t instantly reply to a CNBC request for remark.

Musk’s electrical automobile big Tesla depends on China for greater than 20% of its income and has a big manufacturing unit in Shanghai.

In distinction to the US and different nations’ condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine this yr, China has refused to name the assault on an invasion.

China has in recent times put better emphasis on increase its personal expertise, together with in aerospace.

Home telecom giants, comparable to China Cellular and Huawei, have helped China obtain one of many highest penetrations of 5G web on the earth.

As well as, China accomplished its personal satellite tv for pc communications system, Beidou, in 2020. The system rivals the US government-owned GPS, or World Positioning System.

The Chinese language Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Business and Info Expertise didn’t instantly reply to a CNBC request for remark.

The FT mentioned Musk expects Tesla can be caught up in “inevitable” battle over Taiwan, however will nonetheless be capable of ship to clients in China.

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Beijing considers the democratically self-ruled island a part of its territory and has repeatedly acknowledged its purpose for peaceable reunification.

Musk mentioned his advice “can be to determine a particular administrative zone for Taiwan that’s moderately palatable, most likely will not make everybody glad,” the FT reported.

Requested to answer Musk’s Taiwan advice, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Overseas Affairs in China mentioned: “We stay dedicated to the essential precept of peaceable reunification and One Nation, Two Techniques and purpose to work with the best sincerity and energy to attain peaceable reunification”

“On the similar time, we’ll resolutely defeat makes an attempt to pursue the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist agenda, push again interference by exterior forces, and safeguard our sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the spokesperson mentioned Saturday at a daily press briefing.

Qin Gang, China’s ambassador to the US, thanked Musk for the concept in a tweet.

Learn the complete FT interview right here.

— CNBC’s Arjun Kharpal contributed to this report.