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Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, has embroiled himself in another Twitter spat. Photo: Patrick Pleul/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa

Elon Musk and Hu Xijin face off on Twitter as Tesla founder claps back at Chinese nationalist influencer over Russia-Ukraine war comments

  • Hu accused Musk of believing too much in press freedom, saying ‘he will be taught a lesson’
  • Musk is a much admired entrepreneur in China but is also seen by some as a potential national security threat

Elon Musk, founder and CEO of Tesla, has clashed on Twitter with a former Chinese newspaper editor known for his nationalistic views, embroiling himself in another public argument as he seeks to buy the social media platform.

The world’s richest man and serial entrepreneur, who is frequently outspoken, started a controversial poll on Tuesday on the platform by asking what the peace terms of the Russia-Ukraine war might look like. Musk listed several options, including redoing elections in the four Ukrainian regions Russia recently annexed, making Crimea a permanent part of Russia, and keeping Ukraine neutral in future.

Hu Xijin, former editor of nationalist tabloid Global Times, which is affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party’s mouthpiece the People’s Daily, commented in English that Musk “has released his personality too much” and believes too much in press freedom. “He will be taught a lesson,” Hu noted.

Elon Musk, the Ukraine war and what it all might mean for US-China ties

Hu’s comments were considerably more restrained than those of Ukraine’s outgoing ambassador to Germany, Andrij Melnyk, who wrote in response to Musk’s tweet, “F--- off is my very diplomatic reply to you.”

Although Twitter is banned in China, Hu is among a handful of senior Chinese voices who speak out on the platform, with his comments frequently scrutinised for clues as to how Beijing might be thinking.

Musk replied to Hu’s attack in Chinese with “a man with his hands in his pockets feels cocky all day”, a phrase attributed to the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius, although Musk’s usage was not precise.

Hu Xijin, the outspoken former editor-in-chief of nationalist tabloid Global Times. Photo: Weibo
In China, putting your hands in your pockets is commonly interpreted as lacking confidence and showing powerlessness, and many Chinese commentators saw Musk’s sarcastic reply as an attempt to portray Hu as someone talking up a big fight while not sure about following through.

This is not the first time Musk has picked a bone on Twitter, about which he once tweeted: “Some people use their hair to express themselves, I use Twitter.” Musk’s tweets about Tesla have also landed him in trouble several times with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Tesla’s Elon Musk scores public relations coup with article in Chinese journal

However, the current exchange between Musk, who has around 108 million followers on Twitter, and Hu, who has half a million, has drawn attention in the country as Musk is a much-admired entrepreneur while also seen by some as a potential national security threat.

Musk received the red-carpet treatment from Beijing in January 2019 when he decided to build a Tesla giga factory in Shanghai to produce the company’s electric vehicles. He was allowed to drive three Tesla model cars into Zhongnanhai, the working and living compound of China’s top leadership, and Premier Li Keqiang promised him a Chinese green card.

But Tesla EVs were subsequently criticised in China for allegedly collecting data, and many government compounds in China placed orders banning the entry of Tesla cars.

In March 2021, Musk told a government forum in Beijing via a video conference that Tesla vehicles were not used for spying in China. “If Tesla uses cars to spy in China or anywhere, we will be shut down.” Tesla has also built a data centre in China to store local data gathered by vehicles there.

Meanwhile, the Starlink satellite internet service provided by Musk’s SpaceX has raised eyebrows in Beijing. According to a paper published by Chinese defence researchers earlier this year, China needs to develop anti-satellite capabilities to track and destroy Starlink satellites to safeguard national security.

Despite the current spat, Musk recently commented in softer tones in China Wangxin, the monthly magazine of China’s powerful internet watchdog, that he was happy to share his “thoughts on technology and humanity’s vision” with “Chinese friends”.

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