Tesla cars were banned for two months in Beidaihe, a Chinese resort town. The reason? Concerns about espionage amid a secret meeting by the country's leaders.
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Overall, Tesla and the Chinese government are believed to have good relations.
The two reached an agreement that resulted in Tesla becoming the first foreign automaker to fully own a car factory in China without having to have a joint venture with a state-owned company.
Tesla CEO Elon Muskis also known to praise the Chinese people and has avoided criticizing the Chinese government.
However, the Chinese government has expressed clear concerns that Tesla vehicles could be involved in espionage activities in its country.
Last year, the People's Liberation Army, the army of China, issued a notice that prohibited Tesla owners from parking their vehicles at bases and residential complexes.
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The concerns appeared to be related to the use of external cameras in Tesla vehicles and where the data.
Automakers equip vehicles with cameras and sensors that capture images of the vehicle's surroundings. Controlling how these images are used and where they are sent and stored is a rapidly emerging challenge for the industry and regulatory authorities worldwide.
Tesla cars feature multiple exterior cameras to assist drivers with parking, lane changing , and other features.
Musk commented on the incident by stating the obvious: “Tesla does not use its vehicle cameras to spy on China,” but it did not seem to alleviate concerns as even more government entities reportedly told employees not to park their Tesla vehicles on government property.
Following these situations, Tesla announced that it would store all data collected in China locally.
A few months later, Tesla announced a new data center in the country to do just that, but it didn't seem to alleviate all the concerns.
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Today, local traffic authorities in Beidaihe announced that all Tesla cars will be banned on its roads for at least two months:
Tesla cars will be prohibited from entering the Chinese coastal district of Beidaihe, where a secret annual summer leadership conference of parties is being held, for at least two months from July 1, a local traffic authority official told Reuters.
Beidaihe is a resort not far from Beijing and is known to host meetings of the Chinese leadership in the summer.
Although authorities did not comment on the reason behind the ban, the assumption is that they do not want the cameras in Tesla vehicles to record anything related to the meeting.
Source of information: electrek.co
