Gary Zhou 
Key Points
- 🚨 Tesla is being treated as a security threat in China during the World University Games in Chengdu.
- 🚗 Tesla vehicles are barred from the event, and officials are instructed to block Tesla vehicles in certain areas related to the games.
- 📷 China’s concerns over Tesla’s exterior cameras and data collection prompted a security review in 2021.
- 🇨🇳 China previously banned military members and government officials from driving Teslas due to these concerns.
- 🗣️ CEO Elon Musk emphasized the company’s commitment to confidentiality and denied using vehicles for spying.
- 💼 Despite security issues, Tesla continues to face strong demand and growth in the luxury EV market.
Amidst the upcoming World University Games in Chengdu, China, Tesla is being treated as a security threat, resulting in restrictions on its vehicles’ presence at the event. Sources indicate that President Xi Jinping’s attendance at the games has prompted authorities in Chengdu to prohibit Tesla vehicles in certain event-related areas.
Since 2021, concerns have been raised in China regarding Tesla’s exterior cameras and potential data capture of sensitive information. This issue arose during a period of tense relations between the United States and China, prompting Chinese officials to conduct a security review of Tesla vehicles. The focus of the analysis centered around the cameras and the synchronization of smartphones with the cars.
As a result of these security concerns, China previously prohibited military members and government officials from driving Tesla vehicles in March 2021.
Bloomberg News reported that a video on Chinese social media also showed a Tesla driver being denied entry into a venue in Chengdu, although they were not able to independently verify the video.
When these allegations of spying and data collection were brought forth several years ago, CEO Elon Musk responded that the company would get shut down if it used its vehicles to capture sensitive information that could be used in a political setting:
“There’s a very strong incentive for us to be very confidential with any information. If Tesla used cars to spy in China or anywhere, we will get shut down.”
He even compared the concerns to the U.S. potential ban of TikTok:
“The United States wanted to shut down TikTok. Luckily, it did not happen. Many people were concerned about TikTok. But I think this kind of concern is unnecessary, and we should learn lessons from it.”
