Elon Musk praises China’s leadership, advocates for AI regulation

Elon Musk used a CCTV interview aired on September 23 to heap praise on Chinese President Xi Jinping, calling him a “great leader” while advocating for joint US-China efforts on AI safety regulation. The comments landed just as Xi prepared to visit the US for a summit with President Donald Trump, a diplomatic moment Musk appears eager to help shape. Tesla and xAI chief also called for lower tariffs and fewer trade restrictions between the two largest economies on Earth. The AI angle Musk described Chinese AI models as “very excellent.” He acknowledged that Chinese developers currently face computational constraints but predicted they would close that gap within two to three years. The mechanism, according to Musk, would be breakthroughs in lithography and chip manufacturing. That’s significant because US export controls on advanced semiconductors have been one of Washington’s primary tools to slow China’s AI development. Musk essentially argued that those restrictions have an expiration date. Tesla’s China dependency Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory has produced over 4.5 million vehicles to date, accounting for more than 45% of the company’s total cumulative global output. Wholesale sa...