In terms of U.S. electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla building a plant in China, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Information announced on March 14th that the Shanghai municipal government and Tesla have always been maintaining good communication and both parties will continue to discuss Tesla’s layout in China.

Tesla has been said to establish a factory in China since last year. On October 26, 2017, the spokesman of the Ministry of Commerce announced at a press conference that Tesla was communicating with the Shanghai Municipal Government regarding the establishment of a factory.

In November 2017, Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated in the company’sconference call that Tesla planned to produce cars in China in the next three years or so, mainly to provide products for China and its neighboring countries. Since then, no further details have been disclosed.

On March 8, 2018, Musk openly told the US President Trump on social media that he hoped that the President of the United States could focus on the trade imbalance between China and the United States caused by electric vehicles.

In regard of this issue, Wan Gang, the Minister of Science and Technology, responded at a press conference at the 13th National People's Congress held on March 10th that he had not heard Musk’s complaint of China in his private contact with him. Wan Gang said that the cooperation between China and the United States in electric vehicles is very close. US entrepreneurs are welcomed to China. As long as there is more communication, there will be no obstacles in Sino-U.S. cooperation in technological innovation.