Elon Musk says he is open to expanding Tesla (TSLA) in China during surprise Beijing visit

Tesla’s (NASDAQ: TSLA) billionaire CEO, Elon Musk took an unannounced trip to Beijing on Tuesday, his first trip to the country in over three years, where he is expected to meet with senior Chinese officials and visit Tesla's Shanghai plant.

Just hours after landing in Beijing, Musk met with Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang. The minister said that the two spoke and that Musk said he was willing to expand business in the country.

According to a statement from minister Qin Gang, Musk also said that he opposed a decoupling of the U.S. and Chinese economies,

"The interests of the United States and China are intertwined, like conjoined twins, inseparable from each other," he was quoted as saying.

Qin told Musk China was committed to improving the business environment for investors, including Tesla.

"We must step on the brake in time, avoid dangerous driving and be skillful at using the accelerator," the ministry quoted Qin as saying.

Shares of TSLA are up 3.52% in pre-market trading on Tuesday.

By Michael Elkins | [email protected]

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