Musk Urges Trump To Challenge China's Auto Rules

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk has taken to Twitter to call on US President Donald Trump to challenge mainland’s auto trade rules, which limit foreign ownership of domestic ventures and impose steep tariffs on imported cars.

In a series of tweets aimed at the president, Musk said he was “against import duties in general, but the current rules make things very difficult".

He described it as competing in an Olympic race wearing lead shoes.

Tesla has been pushing hard to build cars in China but has hit roadblocks in negotiations with local authorities, in part because Musk is keen to keep full control of any local venture.

“No US auto company is allowed to own even 50 percent of their own factory in China, but there are five 100 percent China-owned EV auto companies in the US,” Musk wrote in another tweet.

Tesla “raised this with the prior administration and nothing happened. Just want a fair outcome, ideally where tariffs/rules are equally moderate. Nothing more. Hope this does not seem unreasonable,” he said. (Reuters)