Elon Musk praises Xi Jinping: “extraordinary leader”

Elon Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, called Chinese President Xi Jinping an “extraordinary leader” and said that, under his leadership, China has experienced “immense prosperity.” The statements were made on Wednesday in an interview with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

The American billionaire argued that the prosperity of Chinese citizens has increased, something that, in his view, can be observed even on the streets of China. Musk also spoke about Tesla’s Shanghai factory, the company’s largest production center and its main export hub worldwide.

The entrepreneur described the factory’s team as “incredibly talented, hardworking and trustworthy” and called the facility “a jewel.” The statements came ahead of a meeting between Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump, scheduled for Thursday, as part of the second summit this year between the leaders of the United States and China.

Musk may attend, along with other executives of American companies, an official dinner hosted at the White House in honor of the Chinese leader. In August, sales of Tesla’s Shanghai-produced Model 3 and Model Y increased by 3.6% compared with the same month last year, although the pace slowed from the previous month.