Could Elon Musk really influence US China policy? Chinese academics have doubts

Questions raised at US-China relations event about the power of an individual to make much difference to ties

Reading Time:2 minutes

How far US president-elect Donald Trump’s China policy will be determined by tech billionaire Elon Musk (right) is still uncertain, an event at Tsinghua University heard on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Published: 8:00am, 14 Jan 2025

Elon Musk appears to have some sway over US president-elect Donald Trump, but top Chinese scholars are doubtful about how much influence the tech billionaire will have on the incoming administration’s China policy.

Musk’s business ties with China and his close relationship with some senior Chinese officials led to early suggestions that he could be a “bridge” between the rival powers when Trump returns to the White House on January 20.

Wang Jisi, founding president of Peking University’s Institute of International and Strategic Studies, speaking at the Tsinghua University event on Sunday. Photo: Handout

Musk was among the first businessmen from the US to visit after the pandemic and invested heavily in China during its economic downturn. His company Tesla makes half of its electric vehicles in China, which also accounts for one-third of the company’s sales.

While some have suggested that Musk could have a positive impact on the US-China relationship, Wang Jisi, an influential academic and former adviser to the Chinese foreign ministry, said that his own American interactions indicated otherwise.

Speaking at the event on Sunday, Wang said Musk “has a lot of cooperation with China, knows the Chinese people, and has come to China many times”.

“Of course, I hope this is a good thing. After all, he is a businessman, a very skilled businessman, who has crossed over into politics. We cannot equate one person’s attitude towards China with the entire US policy,” he said at the event on US-China relations organised by Tsinghua University’s Institute of International Relations.

Wang, who is founding president of Peking University’s Institute of International and Strategic Studies, did not elaborate on his US interactions about Musk, who has been tapped by Trump to co-lead a drive to cut US government spending.