Tesla’s record in China shows how Elon Musk has thrived in a system in which regulators, the media and the courts are, by design, intertwined. It is not common practice for automakers, in China or elsewhere, to sue their customers but Tesla has pioneered an aggressive legal strategy and leveraged the patronage of powerful leaders in China’s ruling Communist Party to silence critics, reap financial rewards, and limit its accountability.
Tesla has profited from the largesse of the Chinese state, winning unprecedented regulatory benefits, below-market rate loans and large tax breaks. Tesla has enjoyed largely ingratiating coverage in the Chinese press, and journalists told AP they have been instructed to avoid negative coverage of the automaker.
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