Tesla sharing tech with China is ‘subject to negotiation’: Official

Bloomberg

Any sharing of technology by Tesla Inc. with a Chinese partner as part of its expansion in the world’s largest electric-car market is a matter that’s “subject to negotiation,” a Shanghai government official said.
“For technology transfer, it is a matter subject to negotiation between the enterprises,” Huang Ou, deputy head of the Shanghai government’s economy and information technology commission, said at a briefing in the city. Ou was responding to a question on whether Tesla would transfer its technology to China after signing a preliminary agreement with the Shanghai government to build a plant in the city.
Asked about the total investment required, Huang said the plant would be the largest ever foreign-invested manufacturing project in Shanghai.
Tesla will likely need to spend at least $10 billion for the initial phase, including a “gigafactory” battery facility, Bloomberg Intelligence said in a report.
The Chinese government has identified electric vehicles as one of the industries it wants to dominate in this century. Chinese firms are encouraged to borrow ideas from their foreign partners seeking to expand in the nation. About one in five US companies in China have been asked to transfer technology, according to a survey last year.