Chinese fans weigh in as Elon Musk set to join Trump’s new government

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BEIJING: It is all about Elon Musk for 48-year-old Liu Jian Ping.

His office in Shanghai is adorned with books, SpaceX rocket models, and the billionaire’s most famous quotes. His calendar is dotted with get-togethers with other Musk fans – both online and in-person – that are occasionally held at Tesla showrooms or factories.

It was a fascination that started in 2014, when Liu got his hands on one of the first Tesla electric vehicles to be exported to China. He had not even heard of the American entrepreneur back then.

“At the time, my first impression was that this person was somewhat similar to Steve Jobs. Both of them, in their approach to business and entrepreneurship, started with a grand vision, a goal that’s larger in scale,” Liu told CNA.

“We often call them thinkers of ‘big problems’, which makes them very unique.”

Today, this adoration has become a business.

After quitting his job in 2022, Liu started making Musk-related content online. He also sells merchandise on Chinese online platforms like Xiaohongshu.

The store’s most recent addition is a “TikTok Refugee” T-Shirt, released just days after reports surfaced that the billionaire could acquire the popular video app. It shut down in the US for less than a day before service was restored on Sunday (Jan 19).

Liu said his self-sustaining business rakes in millions of yuan every year.

“There is indeed a demand from our users and fans. Some people often ask me why we don’t do this or that – they’re interested in certain things,” he said.

“I feel there’s a lack of high-quality products in this area domestically. While we see some good examples abroad, for the domestic audience, it’s not always convenient.”

FASCINATION WITH MUSK IN CHINA

Musk, the world’s richest man who also owns social media platform X which was formerly known as Twitter, has fascinated many Chinese netizens for years as his business interests continue to grow in the country.

China is Tesla’s second-largest market behind the United States, making up more than a third of its electric vehicle (EV) sales worldwide. 

Bucking a global decline, Tesla sold a record of more than 657,000 cars last year in China – an 8.8 per cent increase from the year before.

The captivation with Musk is also evident offline, with fans obsessing over places he has visited during his numerous trips to the country, most recently in 2024.

That includes Qimen Hotpot House, a well-known hotpot shop along a famous food street in Beijing. Musk visited the restaurant in 2019 and it still continues to draw curious fans.

“At that time we didn’t know him, but his fans were also dining with us. They filmed a video and posted it on Weibo. It quickly went viral,” said Ren Jichao, a chef at Qimen Hotpot House.

The restaurant even put up a brief introduction of his visit at their front door last year as the staff grew tired of explaining what he ate there.

During that 2019 trip, besides holding meetings with high-level Chinese officials, Musk also opened Tesla’s EV battery manufacturing facility in Shanghai – its largest in the world. 

This cosy relationship is a contrast from the feisty rhetoric between officials in Beijing and Washington in the throes of a deepening trade war, and it has not gone unnoticed by fans.

“He has made significant contributions to China as well, and it seems like he has helped China in various ways,” a Beijing resident told CNA.

Another Elon Musk fan said he is someone he really admires, describing the billionaire as “progressive” with “strong foresight”.

“His goals are grand, almost aiming to elevate humanity to the highest level,” he added.

FORAY INTO POLITICS

The latest development that has fans talking is Musk’s foray into politics.

Alongside US biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, he is set to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency when President-elect Donald Trump returns to office on Monday (Jan 20).

A hashtag in Mandarin – How Much Influence Does Musk Have on the Trump Administration – hit social media trending charts in China, with netizens expressing mixed views about this.

These mixed sentiments are echoed in Liu’s circle of Musk enthusiasts.

“Getting involved in politics would surely divert his energy and it may not be something he excels at,” he said.

Others have said he would be a good thing for China – a point that some analysis videos circulating on social media have argued.

“After all, he is likely to be very friendly toward China and he has made significant investments there,” a Beijing resident told CNA.

DEEP SEATED US-CHINA ISSUES

There are some early signs that Musk could shake up bipartisan consensus on US’ China policy – a key issue both parties tend to agree on.

Most recently in December, Democrats accused Republicans of protecting Musk’s Chinese investments by blocking a provision to regulate US investments in China.

But appetite to compete with China will be hard to unravel, according to Assistant Professor Dylan Loh from Nanyang Technological University’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs.

“The problems or challenges of US-China are now quite deep-seated and they are structural,” he noted.

“No one single man can play a singularly decisive role. Having said that, there is certainly, I think, a space for him to play a part – perhaps I’ll say a bridge, a connector, or maybe even an intermediary, private intermediary.”

But even if this role materialises, Loh said it will be quite specific in the tech and science sectors in relation to China.

CHINESE FANS: TRUMP CARD OR LIABILITY?

While Chinese fans have rallied around Elon Musk and his companies, there is also a risk that they could react negatively, depending on what he does during his time as Trump’s aide.

According to analysts, Musk has been a fairly inoffensive character towards China so far, praising Chinese workers generously and lauding how things can be done cheaper and better in China.

Still, global brands like Dolce and Gabbana have seen firsthand how one wrong move can impact their business.

In 2018, a controversial ad offended Chinese consumers, triggering a boycott. Seven years on, they are still struggling to regain their popularity in the country.

Loh said he does not see this happening to Musk just yet, adding that the political risks for Elon Musk’s companies and brands are still manageable.

He added: “If he does what he has been doing so far, which is fairly good relations with Chinese officials, saying all the right things, then I see no reason how and why this political risk would suddenly increase.”