'Tesla Cars Not Allowed'... Will Access to Xi Jinping's Secret Meeting Venue in China Be Restricted?

Exterior cameras installed in vehicles
Identified as a national security threat factor

Tesla electric vehicle

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] It appears that the operation of Tesla vehicles, an American electric car manufacturer, will be banned for at least two months in Beidaihe, Hebei Province, where China's top leadership holds a private meeting this summer.

According to major foreign media on the 20th, Beidaihe in Hebei Province, the secret meeting place of current and former Chinese leaders including President Xi Jinping, plans to ban Tesla vehicles from entering for at least two months starting July 1. Tesla vehicles are equipped with multiple external cameras that assist drivers with parking and lane changes, which have been identified as a national security threat in China due to facility security concerns.

Beidaihe is a resort area along the east coast of Beijing, where current and former Chinese leaders spend their summer vacations every year. Private meetings discussing domestic and international issues, policies, and personnel matters are also held there.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla. / Photo by AFP Yonhap News

The Chinese government does not announce the exact dates of the Beidaihe meetings, but the top leadership disappears from public view around late July or early August every year and reappears about 2 to 3 weeks later.

Notably, this year’s meeting is scheduled ahead of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party in the second half of the year, where President Xi Jinping’s extension of power will be decided.

According to foreign media, a Beidaihe traffic police official who requested anonymity said, "The ban on Tesla vehicles is related to 'state affairs,' and an official announcement will be made soon."

This is not the first time Tesla vehicle operations have been restricted. Earlier this month, when President Xi visited Chengdu in Sichuan Province in the west, Tesla vehicles were also restricted, and police directed Tesla vehicles to detour in certain areas of downtown Chengdu.

In April last year, the Chinese military banned the use of Tesla vehicles within military bases, citing concerns that Tesla’s onboard cameras could collect state secrets and leak them to the United States.

In response, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said, "If Tesla had used its cars for spying activities in China or elsewhere, the company would be shut down." Tesla later stated that all data collected from vehicles sold in China would be stored within China.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.