Musk: U.S.-China tensions ‘should be a concern for everyone’
Asked if he was concerned about “the growing belligerence” between the U.S. and China, Musk says that people should be concerned about tension between the two nations.
I think that should be a concern for everyone.
Musk believes China wants to take control of Taiwan – a country Tesla depends on for processors.
The official policy of China is that Taiwan should be integrated. One does not need to read between the lines…I think you should take their word seriously.
The Chinese economy and the rest of the global economy are like conjoined twins. It would be like trying to separate conjoined twins. That’s the severity of the situation. And it’s actually worse for a lot of other companies that it is for Tesla. I mean, I’m not sure where you’re going to get an iPhone, for example. There are some constraints on our ability to expand in China, and so we’re making as many cars as we can. It’s not a demand issue.
Threatens Taiwan
After the island elects pro-independence leader Tsai, China warns that Taiwan should “abandon its hallucinations about pushing for independence”.
If there is no peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan’s new authority will find the sufferings of the people it wishes to resolve on the economy, livelihood and its youth will be as useless as looking for fish in a tree.
Elected
Taiwan elects its first female president. Ms. Tsai leads a party that seeks full independence from China. In her victory speech she thanked the U. S. and Japan for their support of Taiwan, and vowed to maintain the status quo between the two nations, warning that:
any forms of suppression will harm the stability of cross-strait relations.
6.6 magnitude quake
An undersea earthquake hits off Taiwan’s coast, causing an electrical transformer to explode and starting a house fire in Taipei. One elderly man is killed due to the fire. No other deaths and no significant damage are reported. The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center:
. . . [a] destructive Pacific-wide tsunami was not expected.
Taiwan Plane Crash
A TransAsia Airways turboprop plane crashes on its second attempt at landing during a thunderstorm on an island off Taiwan, killing 47 people and setting buildings on fire.
The aircraft takes off from Taiwan’s southern city of Kaohsiung, heads for the island of Makong, but crash-lands in Huxi township of Penghu County, the main island of the chain also known as the Pescadores. Inclement weather at the time of the crash did not exceed international regulations for landing.