Tesla, the firm of Elon Musk, is under fire for opening a showroom in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang, a region in northwest China where the Beijing regime practices the forced assimilation and internment of Muslim minorities. The company bragged about it on the Chinese equivalent of Twitter: “For 2022, let’s launch the Xinjiang electric journey together! “ Elon Musk is particularly popular in China, his first overseas market, where he opened a Tesla factory in Shanghai in 2018.
He visibly mocks the political pressure imposed on Beijing by Joe Biden and the United States Congress: in December, Washington banned the importation of goods from Xinjiang, where the Chinese regime is accused of using forced laborers. “If you are a company that produces in this region, you will have to prove that it was not the slaves who made them. The presumption hangs over you ”, said one of the co-authors of the law that will apply in March, the Republican senator from Florida, Marco Rubio. If Tesla does not produce on the spot, she is arraigned. “Elon Musk and Tesla must close this new showroom and cease what amounts to economic support for the genocide”, demanded Ibrahim Hooper, director of communications for the council on American-Islamic relations (CAIR).
US companies criticized by China
This showroom opening takes place while Elon Musk is in the crosshairs of the Chinese for another matter, that of the satellites launched by the hundred by his company SpaceX. The Chinese have filed a complaint with the United Nations, accusing Musk’s satellites of endangering the Chinese orbital station during launches in July and October 2021.
Other American companies have been pinned down, caught between the demands of the Chinese and those of the West. This is the case with Intel, the manufacturer of microprocessors had asked its suppliers to avoid sourcing from Xinjiang and had to apologize to the Chinese on December 23 after being the subject of a protest campaign. on social networks. “Although our original intention was to ensure compliance with US laws, this letter has raised many questions and concerns among our dear Chinese partners, which we deeply regret.”, wrote the company.
Likewise, Walmart was the subject of a campaign by Chinese consumers after they discovered that the American supermarket giant had removed products made in the region, such as dates and dates from its Sam’s Club chain shelves. Grapes. Chinese authorities have accused Walmart of “Stupidity” and of “Short-sighted”.
