Teslas will not be allowed to enter China’s coastal district of Beidaihe this summer over concerns the cars could be used for spying as the area plays host to an annual summit of some of the county’s political leaders.
The leadership summit will begin on July 1, 2022 and last for at least two months. The Tesla ban was revealed by a local traffic police official to Reuters on Monday, who did not provide additional details except to say the decision was made over “national affairs.”
The officer from the Beidaihe Traffic Police Brigade said an official announcement of the ban would be made soon.
This is not the first time concerns of Teslas being used for spying have appeared in China. Just a few weeks ago we told you about Chinese police preventing Tesla vehicles from driving on specific roads in Chengdu in Sichuan Province.
The ban that time was due to a visit by Chinese president Xi Jingping.
Tesla vehicles of course have multiple onboard cameras to assist with Autopilot and Full Self-Driving capabilities, but the Chinese government is wary of them saying they could be used for spying.
However, Elon Musk has previously stated this is not the case, and they have a very strong incentive no to spy in China, or anywhere else in the world.
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.
Musk made these comments after the Chinese military banned Tesla vehicles from its facilities around the country, a ban which appears to still be in place.
