A private plane claimed to have been used by Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Inc., has landed in Beijing, according to a witness who talked to Reuters. According to reports, this will be Musk’s first trip to China in three years. While there, he plans to meet with top Chinese leaders and tour Tesla’s Shanghai site. Musk’s visit to China hasn’t been given an official reason, but it’s been assumed that he may talk about Tesla’s future intentions there and look into partnering with local businesses.
Tesla has not yet commented on whether Elon Musk has arrived in China, in response to a request for information. However, flight data from ADS-B Exchange, a website that aggregates flight information, shows that Musk’s private jet, a 2015 Gulfstream G650ER, departed from Alaska on Tuesday morning Asia time and crossed over Japan and South Korea en route to Beijing.
On Tuesday, the private jet with Elon Musk on board, identified by its unique tail number, was spotted at Beijing Capital International Airport by a Reuters witness. China is currently Tesla’s second-largest market after the United States, and the company’s Shanghai plant is its largest production facility. As such, Musk’s visit to China and the Shanghai plant is expected to be of significant importance to Tesla’s future operations and growth in the country.
