Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Ludovik Marin | Afp | Getty Images
The Prime Minister of Mongolia Luvsannamsray Oyun-Erdene and Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Monday discussed possible expansion and investment in the Asian country in a virtual meeting.
“They discussed the possibility of welcoming Tesla to Mongolia for its electric vehicle battery factory, taking advantage of the country’s wide availability of copper and rare earth elements, which are key components of electric car batteries,” said a statement issued on behalf of Mongolian government.
The East Asian country is rich in minerals and boasts large deposits of copper, gold and coal.
“The Government of Mongolia is committed to cooperating with international organizations to support the development of new technologies and increase investment in the country,” the statement said.
A statement from the Mongolian government’s cabinet secretariat added that the country’s prime minister emphasized his support for the use of electric cars and urged Mongolian citizens to use such vehicles.
Musk and Oyun-Erdene also talked about bringing Starlink — a satellite communications terminals and service provider run by Musk-founded SpaceX — to Mongolia. Starlink was registered as a company in Mongolia in 2022 and is expected to launch regionally this year.
Musk’s meeting with the Mongolian leader comes after the tech giant last week met Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang and other senior officials in China, as Beijing looks to portray a friendly business environment for foreign companies amid tensions with the US
Tesla’s CEO praised China’s technological progress and visited the Tesla Gigafactory in Shanghai.