Elon Musk greeted with flattery and feasts during China trip

He’s “a pioneer”, “Brother Ma” and some want him to be US president. Billionaire Elon Musk has been showered with praise by the Chinese public during his trip to China and while also securing audiences with three government ministers.

Since landing in Beijing on Tuesday, the Tesla Inc chief executive has met with China’s foreign, commerce and industry ministers and has dined with Zeng Yuqun, chairman of top battery supplier CATL.

While little is known of those discussions – the industry ministry has only said Musk and its head Jin Zhuanglong exchanged views about the development of electric vehicles and connected cars – that hasn’t stopped an outpouring of enthusiasm for Musk on Chinese social media.