From being banned from government buildings to being open to Tesla, Tesla has become a "domestic car", netizens are shocked

The Jiangsu Provincial Government Procurement Website disclosed that Tesla's smart electric car was included in the provincial party and government agencies, public institutions and group vehicle procurement catalog. The government also said that Tesla is a "domestic car", and previously many places restricted Tesla from entering and leaving government compounds, saying it has "potential risks". Patriotic netizens were shocked by this.

The Jiangsu Provincial Government Procurement website disclosed information that the "Announcement on the Shortlisted Projects for the 2024-2025 New Energy Vehicle Framework Agreement Procurement for Party and Government Agencies, Institutions and Mass Organizations in Jiangsu Province (III)" was recently announced. Tesla Model Y has entered the Jiangsu Provincial Government's new energy vehicle procurement catalog. The model is priced at 249,900 yuan, which is higher than the price of the other 20 shortlisted domestically produced vehicles, up to twice as much.

Regarding the Jiangsu Provincial Government's inclusion of Tesla, which was originally produced in the United States and is now assembled in China, in the list of vehicles to be purchased by party and government agencies and public institutions, current affairs commentator Cai Shenkun said in an interview with our station on Friday (5th) that this decision, which seems absurd but is in the interests of the Chinese authorities, is beneficial to both parties. He said: "Now we want to use Tesla as a breakthrough point, because Tesla's entry into China has driven the development of China's electric vehicles. Without Tesla's factory in Shanghai, there would be no complete supply chain for China's electric vehicles, which has made China's electric vehicles emerge as a dark horse."

Cai Shenkun believes that China's electric vehicle exports rank first in the world and have a lot to do with Tesla. In the past, China was worried that the data collected by Tesla would be transmitted to the United States, but this is no longer the case. He said that China's electric vehicle development has encountered a technical bottleneck, and if it wants to break through, it needs Tesla's technology, including Tesla's driverless technology, which is what China needs: "All his data in China is in China and is strictly regulated by China. There is no saying that it will be transmitted abroad. But now China's electric vehicles have reached a very critical period, that is, the problem of driverless driving and intelligent computing."

Jiangsu calls Tesla a "domestic car"

According to Red Star News, on July 4, the contact person in charge of the project at the Jiangsu Provincial Government Procurement Center confirmed to reporters that Tesla was shortlisted in the relevant procurement catalog. According to Shangguan News, the Jiangsu Provincial Government Procurement Center told reporters that Tesla took the initiative to apply for this procurement, and the procurement center recognized Tesla's eligibility based on two dimensions: parameters and price. The staff also said that Tesla is a domestic product.

Many netizens are puzzled by the Jiangsu government's opening up to Tesla. Some patriotic Internet celebrities try to find arguments to boycott Tesla, but they seem to be hard to understand. One netizen said that Tesla is a wholly-owned enterprise, not a joint venture, so how can it be called a domestically produced car? Previously, it was said that Tesla would not be allowed to enter the unit, but now the government purchases Tesla and calls a wholly foreign-owned car a domestically produced car. This is too outrageous.

Commentator Guo Min said in an interview with our station that China's policy towards foreign-funded enterprises depends on economic and political needs. Today, Tesla electric vehicles are allowed to enter the government procurement catalog, and Tesla can be restricted again in the future. Tesla's future in the Chinese market is full of uncertainty. He said: "They do things according to the needs of the situation, and make a certain behavior or judgment. This is also the starting point of their behavior. Maintaining the stability of the situation overrides everything. At that time, they guarded against Tesla because of the needs of the situation at that time. Now they don't have to guard against it, but I believe this is a stopgap measure. I don't know when they will ban Tesla again."

Du Wen, a former legal adviser to the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region government, believes that the authorities' lifting of some restrictions on Tesla cars in China is more about form than content and has greater symbolic significance. He told the station: "This policy is inconsistent with Xi Jinping's overall national security concept and is probably difficult to implement. If Tesla is used for official business, then China will have no secrets."

Tesla's road in China takes a turn after Ma's meeting

This station has reported that starting from 2022, government agencies in Zhejiang, Beijing, Wuhan and other provinces will ban Tesla cars from entering. Jiangxi Radio and Television Station issued a notice prohibiting smart connected cars produced by foreign-owned (holding) enterprises such as Tesla from entering the station's work area. Many community parking lots have followed suit and boycotted Tesla.

In April this year, Tesla CEO Musk was invited to Beijing to meet with Xi Jinping, and the fate of Tesla cars in China took a sharp turn. On April 28, the China Association of Automobile Industry issued a notice stating that Tesla electric cars met four compliance requirements for automobile data security. Tesla also reached an agreement with Baidu on autonomous driving mapping. At this point, Tesla's idea of ​​developing driverless cars in China has entered the actual operation stage.