Elon Musk has found himself at the center of another geopolitical controversy after angering a senior Taiwanese politician.
Speaking on a conference call in Los Angeles Full Summit This week, Musk said he believed he had “a good understanding of China as an outsider.”
“I know China very well. I have been there many times and met with senior leaders at many levels. Tesla has always been very Succeed in China,” he said, before describing Taiwan as a “fundamental issue” important to Beijing’s lawmakers.
Musk compared the connection between China and Taiwan to the relationship between Hawaii and the United States – that is, Taiwan is “an integral part of China, but not part of China.”
“I do think that China’s military strength is increasing year by year, and (the United States’) military strength has more or less established itself,” he said, suggesting that China is likely to use force to bring Taiwan under its control. . .
Last year, President Joe Biden explain U.S. troops will defend Taiwan if China invades, sparking anger in China.
However, Musk said at the All-In Summit that this may be an unfeasible task.
“Strategically, as you can imagine, defending Taiwan is not easy because it is so close to the Chinese coast,” he argued.
autonomous TaiwanThe island, about 100 miles off China’s southeastern coast, is viewed by Beijing as a rebel province that must be brought back under mainland control.
In recent years, tensions surrounding Taiwan’s status have increased. Western speculation Beijing may invade the island gathering speed.
In a post on Musk’s own social media platform X, Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu blasted the Tesla CEO for his views on the current situation.
Wu said he hopes Musk can convince China’s ruling Communist Party to make X, formerly known as Twitter, accessible within China, where the service is currently banned.
“Maybe he thinks banning it is a good policy, just like shutting down Starlink to prevent Ukraine from counterattacking Russia,” Wu said in a post posted through Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs account.
“Listen, Taiwan is not part of (China) and of course it cannot be sold!” he added.
hope @elonmusk You can also ask #中国CP Open @X To its people.Maybe he thought banning it was a good policy, like shutting down @星连 Prevent #Ukrainecounterattack #Russia. listen, #Taiwan Does not belong #China And definitely not for sale!Jiewei https://t.co/HEhyTYYXFp
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MOFA_Taiwan) September 13, 2023
Musk’s representatives were unavailable when contacted. wealth.
Taiwan has grown into Asia’s major economiesTaiwan is home to semiconductor giant TSMC, and much of the world’s electronics are powered by chips made on the island.
Although Taiwan has practiced autonomy for more than seventy years, It is not recognized as a country by the United Nations itselfan organization related to Beijing Serves as diplomatic representative of the island.China persist in There is only “one China” – Taiwan is a part of it.
China, formally known as the People’s Republic of China (PRC), has vowed to “unify” Taiwan with the mainland, using force if necessary, and has taken increasingly aggressive actions in recent years to signal the seriousness of that goal.
For example, reports from Taiwan countless times Chinese military aircraft fly into its air defense zonewhile China conducted military exercises, including launch ballistic missile Near the island last year.
Tensions have grown in recent years as the U.S. government has shown support for Taiwan, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Visit the island in 2022Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen paid an official visit to the United States earlier this year.
Musk, SpaceX CEO and world’s richest man, comments on Taiwan and China Keep making headlines He decided to deny the Ukrainian military access to its Starlink satellite service in order to launch a counteroffensive in Russian-occupied Crimea.
“There is no commitment from me or anyone at SpaceX to cover Crimea,” he said in a post on X last week. “Additionally, our terms of service explicitly prohibit Starlink from conducting offensive military operations because we are a civilian system, so again they are asking for something that is explicitly prohibited.”
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