Mr Han said US firms were welcome in China during the sit-down in Washington with Mr Musk. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping may not have personally accepted US President-elect Donald Trump’s invitation to his inauguration, but Beijing has taken the rare step of dispatching a top official to join the swearing-in ceremony in Washington.

HONG KONG -- U.S. President Donald Trump's return to the White House has raised questions about how much influence Elon Musk -- his largest campaign donor and the world's richest person -- might wield, especially over China policy.

BEIJING: Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with tech tycoon Elon Musk and urged US firms to "seize the opportunity" to deepen economic ties with China, Beijing's state media said on Monday (Jan 20).

China's Vice President Han Zheng met on Sunday with Tesla CEO Elon Musk and other members of the U.S. business community in Washington D.C., the official Xinhua news agency reported on Monday. Han told Musk he "welcomed Tesla and other U.

Han has used the visit to meet with members of the American business community, including Tesla CEO and close Trump associate Elon Musk, according to Chinese state agency Xinhua. Musk is widely thought to be seen by Beijing as more sympathetic to its interests than others in Trump’s orbit.

Han Zheng, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s envoy at Trump’s Inauguration, discussed fentanyl, trade, and technology with Vance and Musk.

Good start, stable development of China-US relations to serve well-being of Chinese and American people, Han Zheng tells American businesses - Anadolu Ajansı

The crowded scene in the Capitol Rotunda on Inauguration Day featured four of the world's five wealthiest men, five U.S. presidents, influential sporting figures and two foreign leaders with prime seats on the dais.

The billionaire complained on his platform X after the meeting about X being banned in China while TikTok is allowed to operate in America.