Taiwan criticized Musk for calling the island “an integral part” of China

Taiwan accused Elon Musk of blindly flattering Beijing after the American billionaire called the autonomous island an “integral part” of China.

Elon Musk, one of the richest people on the planet, has angered Taipei by comparing Taiwan to the US state of Hawaii in a podcast and calling the island an “interior” of China.

Elon Musk “blindly praised China and if (his) comments were influenced by its commercial interests, such comments should not be taken seriously and the person who makes them does not deserve respect,” Jeff told Press. Liu, representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“We don’t know if Mr. Musk’s free will is for sale, but Taiwan is not for sale, that’s for sure.”

Beijing considers the autonomous island part of its territory, which it may one day seize by force.

In recent years, China has intensified its political and economic pressure on Taiwan.

Mr Liu’s statements came after Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu attacked the Tesla CEO in a post on the businessman’s social network X (formerly Twitter).

He suggested asking Beijing to allow the Chinese to enter.

“I hope Elon Musk can also ask the Chinese Communist Party to allow his people access to satellite communication (Starlink) to thwart Ukraine’s counterattack against Russia,” Wu wrote.

Last week, Elon Musk rejected a request from Clive that it blocked a Ukrainian attack on a Russian naval base last year and asked it to activate internet access via its satellite over the Black Sea.

“Listen up everyone, Taiwan is not part of the People’s Republic of China and is definitely not for sale!”

Elon Musk had already angered Taipei in May for announcing that China would inevitably integrate the island.

“China’s official policy is that Taiwan must be unified … there’s no need to read between the lines,” he told CNBC in an interview.

“There is a certain inevitability in this situation,” he said.

The outspoken Musk, who has significant business interests in China, often delves into social and geopolitical issues in comments he posts on his social media.