During a new interview, Twitter owner Elon Musk warned that U.S. policymakers should take China’s threats of invading Taiwan “seriously.”
Musk made his comments during an interview with CNBC’s David Faber when asked if he was concerned about “the growing belligerence between China and the U.S.”
“I think that should be a concern for everyone,” Musk responded.
When asked if he thinks China is going to do something to take control of Taiwan, Musk responded, “The official policy of China is that Taiwan should be integrated. One does not need to read between the lines, one can certainly read the lines.”
Musk said that the move would not be good for “any company in the world.”
“Also no one really realizes that the Chinese economy and the rest of the global economy are like conjoined twins, it would be like trying to separate conjoined twins,” Musk said. “That’s the severity of the situation. It’s actually worse for a lot of other companies than it is for Tesla. I mean, I’m not sure where you’re gonna get an iPhone, for example. And Apple’s recently started doing some sort of small amount of production in India, but it’s tiny.”
When Faber said that it seemed like Musk believed China is likely going to attempt to gain control of Taiwan, Musk responded, “I’m simply saying that that is their policy. And I think you should take their word seriously. They mean it.”
Elon Musk says tension between U.S. and China "should be a concern for everyone." https://t.co/kUSHXUka3x pic.twitter.com/XscyQvbZ3d
— CNBC (@CNBC) May 17, 2023