Musk praises Xi as great leader in interview with Chinese state television

Tesla Inc ​CEO Elon Musk praised Chinese President ​Xi Jinping as ‌a "great leader" ​in comments during an interview with Chinese state television network CCTV on Wednesday.

"Under his tenure, China ‌has prospered immensely," Musk said, citing progress seen from new buildings and infrastructure constructed in the country. "It's also obvious to see that, just walking around ‌the streets, the increased prosperity of the average Chinese citizen," he added.

Musk ‌was expected to join other US chief executives at a White House state dinner hosted by President Donald Trump for Xi on Thursday, Reuters reported. Xi is due ⁠to meet ​with Trump ⁠on Thursday in the second summit this year between the leaders of the world's ⁠two largest economies.

Musk also commented on Tesla's largest manufacturing hub, which is located in ​Shanghai, calling the team "incredibly talented, hardworking and trustworthy". "Tesla's Shanghai factory is a ⁠gem and it's beautiful, actually, if anyone's ever been there," he said.

Musk had previously ⁠dismissed ​speculation that Tesla's China operations could be separated ahead of a potential merger with SpaceX. Sales of Model 3 and Model Y ⁠vehicles produced at Tesla's Shanghai plant, also its largest export hub globally, rose ⁠3.6% year-on-year in ⁠August, slowing sharply from the previous month, as divergent trends persisted across the US automaker's major markets.