Musk's China Connections: A National Security Nightmare

Dylan Walker
Feb 12
8 min read

Well folks, grab your popcorn - America's least billionaire naziboy has a dirty little secret. Turns out Leon's not just flirting with China, he's in a full-blown bromance. A whopping $1.4 billion in Chinese loans and half of Tesla's cars rolling out of Shanghai? That's not just business - that's practically a marriage proposal to Beijing.

The numbers would be hilarious if they weren't so terrifying. His Shanghai love nest pumps out one-third of Tesla's sales and a quarter of global revenue. Meanwhile, back in Washington, Senator Richard Blumenthal is having an absolute meltdown, calling this cozy arrangement a "profound threat" to national security. Military brass aren't exactly throwing confetti either - they're demanding investigations faster than Musk can tweet about DEI.

But hey, this isn't your typical corporate bedtime story. Picture a twisted web of international scheming, billion-dollar handshakes, and enough nervous Pentagon officials to fill a stress management seminar. Buckle up, kids - we're about to explore why Musk's Chinese adventure has America's security experts reaching for the antacids.

Tesla's Growing Presence in China

Remember that kid who always had to have the biggest toy? Meet Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory - Elon's crown jewel in the Middle Kingdom. This mechanical monster runs on 95% automation and doesn't even need humans for welding anymore [11]. How thoughtful of them to remove the human element entirely.

Shanghai Gigafactory operations

Picture this: a shiny new Tesla pops out every 30 seconds [11]. That's faster than most people can decide what to order at Starbucks. The factory cranks out both Model 3 sedans and Model Y crossovers like they're going out of style - we're talking 950,000 vehicles annually [11].

Here's what Elon's robot army has been up to:

Hit the 2 million car mark in September 2023 (champagne for the machines!) [12]
Ran full throttle through 2024 (sleep is for the weak) [2]
Stacked operations vertically because apparently, the sky's the limit [11]
Connected all workshops because walking is so 2022 [11]

Market share and revenue details

Despite China's homegrown EV makers nipping at Tesla's heels, the numbers aren't too shabby. Tesla delivered 657,102 vehicles in 2024, grabbing 6.0% of China's new energy vehicle market [13]. They're sitting pretty at third place in the NEV market and tenth overall - not bad for the new kid on the communist block [13].

But wait, there's more! The Shanghai plant doesn't just serve the local market - it's shipping cars faster than Amazon Prime. One-third of production goes overseas, with their millionth export rolling out in September 2023 [12]. The plant handles 36.7% of Tesla's global deliveries [1]. Talk about putting all your eggs in one Communist Party-approved basket.

Here's the plot twist though - Tesla's market share dropped from 7.8% to 6% between 2023 and late 2024 [14]. Turns out local competitors aren't just sitting around eating fortune cookies. But hey, some experts still call Tesla "the Apple of cars" [14]. Because nothing says security like comparing yourself to another company deeply entangled with communist China.

Key Business Relationships with Chinese Officials

Guess who's become Beijing's favorite American billionaire? Our boy Elon's got more Chinese government contacts than a bad takeout menu. While U.S. officials lose sleep over it, Musk is playing diplomatic musical chairs with Communist Party bigwigs.

Meetings with top leadership

The guest list at Musk's Chinese government meetups reads like a Who's Who of the Communist Party. He recently cozied up to Vice President Han Zheng in Washington, right before Trump's inauguration [2]. But wait - there's more! His dance card includes Premier Li Qiang, Foreign Minister Qin Gang, Industry Minister Jin Zhuanglong, and Commerce Minister Wang Wentao [6]. It's like collecting Pokemon, but with communist officials.

These totally-not-suspicious meetings covered:

More Tesla money flowing into China (shocking!) [2]
Deeper economic ties (because why not?) [2]
Tesla's role in trade relations (aka being China's favorite pet project) [2]
Expanding operations (more factories, more fun!) [6]

Special permissions granted

Surprise, surprise - being China's BFF comes with perks! Tesla snagged the only foreign EV brand data security certification [7]. While other companies face the Great Firewall, Tesla's cruising Chinese roads collecting data with Baidu's blessing [11]. How convenient!

Investment agreements

The financial tango between Tesla and China keeps getting steamier. Half of Tesla's global car production now happens in Shanghai [9]. They've even scored a cool USD 200 million for a new battery factory [9].

The numbers tell a spicy story - China brings in USD 5.70 billion, about a quarter of Tesla's USD 25.20 billion third-quarter revenue in 2024 [2]. Representative Rosa DeLauro's getting nervous about these growing Communist Party connections [9]. Can't imagine why!

Here's the cherry on top: China might use Musk as their personal messenger pigeon to Trump. According to Michael Dunne, a China auto expert, "When Chinese leaders have an important message to convey to President Trump, Elon Musk would clearly be the best conduit" [10]. Because nothing says national security like using a tech CEO as your diplomatic carrier pigeon!

Security Clearance Concerns

Turns out America's favorite rocket man can't get into his own classified facilities. The Air Force just showed Musk the security clearance door, citing "potential security risks" [11]. Whoops.

Access to sensitive information

Uncle Sam's getting nervous. Three federal investigations are digging into whether Musk's corporate empire plays by the rules [11]. Meanwhile, his hilariously named Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team has their paws all over restricted government files [12]. They've got access to:

Every Treasury and State Department bigwig's details
Social Security numbers (because why not?)
Medical histories (hope you're not embarrassed by that rash)
Healthcare records that would make HIPAA cry [2]

Even our friends abroad are freaking out. Israel's Defense Ministry called Musk a "wild card" [13] - diplomatic speak for "this guy scares the hummus out of us." Plus, he's apparently Putin's new pen pal since 2022 [1]. Nothing suspicious there!

Lack of background checks

Ready for the real comedy? While regular government workers need 15-year background checks [14], DOGE staffers got the express lane treatment. Some of these kids are barely old enough to vote, but hey, here's the keys to America's digital kingdom [2]!

SpaceX employees played along with Musk's rule-breaking dance, probably because job hunting isn't fun [11]. Remember when smoking weed with Joe Rogan delayed his security clearance [1]? Now add ketamine, LSD, and ecstasy to the party mix [1]. Security officers must love this guy.

SpaceX lawyers are playing out scenarios where Musk might accidentally spill state secrets to foreign officials [1]. Picture this: 400+ SpaceX employees can access top-secret info, but their CEO has to wait in the parking lot [1]. It's like making the restaurant owner eat outside.

Meanwhile, the feds are drowning in background check paperwork [15]. Things are so bad, they created a "tiger team" to fix it [15]. Because nothing says "we're handling this well" like naming your emergency response after a big cat.

Impact on US Government Operations

Picture this: Trump hands the keys to America's bureaucratic kingdom to the guy who named his company after a dog meme. DOGE (yes, really) is now Musk's playground for "government efficiency" [4]. Because nothing says efficiency like a billionaire with a Twitter addiction.

Role in federal restructuring

Musk's DOGE pack has been marking its territory across federal agencies faster than a caffeinated chihuahua [16]. They've particularly enjoyed sniffing around the Treasury Department, where they're "streamlining operations" - bureaucrat-speak for causing chaos [4].

The highlight? A charming mass email to two million federal workers basically saying "quit now, get paid later" [17]. Surprisingly, this didn't go over well. Who knew government employees don't appreciate being treated like Tesla factory robots? [4]

Access to critical systems

Hold onto your security badges, folks. DOGE's tentacles now reach into:

Treasury's piggy bank controlling USD 6.00 trillion (yes, trillion with a T) [16]
Every government employee's personal dirt at the OPM [18]
Uncle Sam's real estate portfolio [17]
Medicare/Medicaid's wallet handling over USD 1.00 trillion [17]

The Treasury handed over the keys after a convenient "retirement" [16]. Now Musk's crew controls everything from your grandma's Social Security check to IRS refunds [19].

Senator Wyden's having kittens about potential economic sabotage [16]. Meanwhile, everyone's wondering if giving China's favorite CEO access to America's financial plumbing might be slightly problematic [19].

The best part? Some DOGE operators still have high school homework to finish [20]. Watchdog groups are frantically flipping through law books, wondering if letting a tech bro create his own shadow government department might possibly be illegal [17].

140 House Democrats finally remembered they have jobs and proposed the Taxpayer Data Protection Act [21]. Nothing says "we messed up" quite like rushing to pass a law named after the thing you should have protected in the first place.

Congressional Oversight and Investigations

Congress finally woke up from its bureaucratic nap to notice something fishy in Musk's government playground. House Democrats are now playing detective, launching investigations faster than Elon can tweet about cryptocurrencies [22].

Current investigations

The House oversight committee's greatest hits include probing Musk's DOGE team for:

Breaking into USAID and OPM systems (totally normal!) [22]
Playing peek-a-boo with taxpayer data [22]
Treating government payment systems like a Tesla touchscreen [22]
Turning American privacy into a SpaceX launch countdown [22]

Senators Warren and Wyden aren't sitting this dance out. They've sicced the GAO watchdogs on Treasury Secretary Bessent's brilliant idea to hand Musk the financial keys to the kingdom [62, 63].

Meanwhile, the Senate Banking Committee's having a collective meltdown over Musk's Chinese fortune cookie collection [3]. They're particularly thrilled about what these Beijing connections mean for national security [3].

Proposed legislation

Some senators actually did their jobs and cooked up the RESTRICT Act [23]. This legislative masterpiece would let Commerce play bouncer at the foreign tech party by:

Checking IDs on sketchy overseas tech deals [23]
Playing cybersecurity whack-a-mole [23]
Creating a fancy "risk-based process" (because we love bureaucratic buzzwords) [23]

Not to be outdone, 140 House Democrats remembered how to use their pens and drafted Treasury protection measures [24]. Representative DeLauro's especially worried about Musk's growing collection of Communist Party friendship bracelets [5].

Jake Sullivan, our National Security Advisor, jumped on the bandwagon, probably after seeing his data floating somewhere between Shanghai and Silicon Valley [25]. The Commerce Department might actually get to play tech referee with six countries, including our frenemies China and Russia [25].

Senator Cotton decided to make it a party and dragged all U.S.-China business dealings into the spotlight [8]. Suddenly everyone's concerned about American companies playing footsie with sensitive sectors abroad [8]. Who could have seen that coming?

Conclusion

Well folks, here's your bedtime story about how America handed its digital crown jewels to a guy who takes selfies with Communist Party officials. Musk's Chinese business buffet - complete with Shanghai car factories and billion-dollar loans - isn't just raising eyebrows anymore. It's setting off air raid sirens.

Remember when we thought giving his teenage DOGE squad access to government systems was a good idea? That's aged about as well as a MySpace profile. Sure, Musk can build rockets and electric cars, but he can't even pass a basic security clearance. It's like hiring a bank robber to design your vault.

Congress finally stopped hitting snooze on the national security alarm clock. Their RESTRICT Act might as well be called the "Holy Crap, What Were We Thinking?" bill. At least someone in Washington remembered that letting foreign-influenced billionaires play with sensitive tech might be slightly problematic.

Here's the punchline that nobody's laughing at: We've basically given a tech CEO with more Chinese connections than a Beijing phone book the keys to America's digital kingdom. The next chapter in U.S.-China relations isn't being written by diplomats - it's being tweeted by a billionaire who can't decide which country he loves more.

Sweet dreams, America.