, Columnist
Welcome to China, Tesla. Now Time to Cough Up
Big promises come with a price tag.
Technology transfer is a real threat.
Photographer: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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Welcome to China, Elon. Let’s talk about how this is going to work.
Amid a brewing trade war, Tesla Inc. has emerged as a clear casualty. On Tuesday, Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk sealed an agreement with the Shanghai government to open Tesla’s first factory outside the U.S., with a capacity to build 500,000 cars a year. The investment size wasn’t disclosed, nor were the terms of the arrangement. In a briefing Wednesday, a Shanghai government official said that any sharing of technology with Tesla would be “subject to negotiations,” in response to a question from Bloomberg News.