China Signals Tentative Approval of Tesla’s Self-Driving Cars

Chinese officials appear to have given tentative support for authorizing Tesla’s self-driving cars following a visit by CEO Elon Musk, news outlets reported. 

The Details: Tesla’s share price spiked on Monday following multiple developments. On Sunday, Musk met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who called Tesla a “successful model” for U.S.-China collaboration. The same day, Tesla said it had passed a top Chinese auto association’s data security requirements, leading local Chinese authorities to remove restrictions on the cars on some government-related properties. Tesla also reached a deal with Chinese tech giant Baidu to use mapping data collected on Chinese roads. 

For Context: Business ties between China and the U.S. have been strained in recent years. However, Tesla’s electric cars are popular in China. Several media analysts say these recent developments pave the way for Chinese approval of Tesla’s most advanced self-driving software.

How the Media Covered It: Business news outlets across the spectrum prominently featured the story Monday morning, not including Fox Business (Lean Right bias). While coverage generally seemed to agree that China’s actions signaled potential approval for self-driving tech, headlines sometimes differed in how confidently they portrayed that prediction.