How refreshing to read about Tesla’s construction of a battery manufacturing site covering 50 acres in Shanghai. Elon Musk himself is hugely popular in China, where he receives red-carpet welcomes from leaders and is hailed for his business acumen. Beijing was eager to welcome Tesla car manufacturing, experts say, partly to jump-start its own domestic electric vehicle industry and supply chain. That effort worked: Tesla now faces steep competition from domestic carmakers such as BYD, which outpaced it in EV production in 2024. Tesla ranked only 10th among car brands in Chinese sales numbers last year, according to the China Passenger Car Association. Now, why didn’t Tesla construct that manufacturing site here in the United States of America? How many jobs did that create, from mining raw materials to shipping to the U.S.? Good to know that the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai is helping make American great again.

Gregory Stevenson

Loudon