Tesla Asked Chinese Government To Help Censor Social Media Posts Critical
Of The Company
Readers of Zero Hedge know that we have been tracking Elon Musk's fading
relationship with the Chinese Communist Party for the better part of the
last 18 months. And while we can barely guess what the temperature of the
ever-changing relationship is today, one thing seems to be certain: Musk
and the Chinese government are growing closer.
And for proof of that, look no further than a new Bloomberg Businessweek
article profiling Elon Musk's struggles in China. While the content of the
article isn't entirely new - our readers are likely very familiar with the
story - one portion of the report was stunning: Musk, in true CCP form,
reportedly asked the Chinese government to censor the company's critics.
In speaking about how Tesla is trying to create relationships with
journalists in China, Bloomberg buried the lede in dropping this bomb:
Previously focused on state-run media, Tesla is now
trying to build relationships with auto-industry publications and
influencers on platforms such as Weibo and WeChat, for example by inviting
them on factory tours, and conducting group “discussion sessions” with
policymakers, consumers, and media outlets. According to people familiar
with the matter, it’s also complained to the government over what it sees
as unwarranted attacks on social media, and asked Beijing to use its
censorship powers to block some of the posts.
It appears to be more proof positive not only that Musk is working closely
with the CCP, but also that Musk may be adopting their tactics for
"holding the narrative together".
Recall, we were first, with the help of well-known short seller Montana
Skeptic to ask in April of 2020 whether or not Musk risked becoming a
Chinese asset, due to how much of a necessity China was becoming to
Tesla's business operations.
Things were mostly quiet until the beginning of 2021, when in January,
Musk called the Chinese government "more responsible" to its citizens than
the U.S. government. In March we noted how Musk continued to kiss the ass
of the CCP, singing the praises of the country and its government.
Then, in April 2021, a spat emerged between Musk and the CCP, supposedly
after a protestor at the Shanghai Auto Show in April "went viral" after
standing on top of a Tesla vehicle and decrying the car's brakes. This led
to intense shaming by Chinese media, who called Tesla's handling of the
situation a "blunder" and suggested it could "inflict serious damage" on
Tesla with the Chinese market.
Since then, we noted that the Chinese government still didn't seem amused
by Musk until May of this year, when Musk made a public about-face on
Bitcoin and was then immediately praised by China's state owned Global
Times. In fact, the Global Times then published a piece stating that "work
at Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory is going smoothly," just days after it was
reported that Tesla was halting its expansion in China, seen as key to its
plans to export from its Asia headquarters.
As of July, deliveries in China have picked back up and Musk is back to
his old self, praising China, even in response to Chinese state-owned
media:
In case anyone was wondering who is pulling the
strings: https://t.co/9WAAkwI1PA
— Quoth the Raven (@QTRResearch) July 1, 2021
Recall, our initial April 2020 report on China and Musk referenced Montana
Skeptic's blog called "Tesla's Transformation Into A Chinese Company Seems
Unstoppable", which sought to critically examine why the company's
Shanghai factory could be a negative for Tesla, how Tesla's China
operation could ultimately compete with Fremont and what the Chinese may
ultimately gain from having Musk as an ally.
The article first addressed the questions of:
Who calls the shots at Tesla Shanghai?
What are the interests of the Chinese leadership?
Whom does the Shanghai factory actually benefit?
How will Shanghai affect Tesla’s operations elsewhere?
When will Tesla’s security filings reflect the economic
reality?
And now it looks like the mainstream media is getting around to asking
these very same questions. We can't wait for the answers...