Tesla's strong localization strategy in China has not only boosted operational efficiency but also contributed to global growth, while recent stimulus measures are expected to further enhance market confidence, said Tao Lin, vice head of Tesla.
In an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) during a matchmaking meeting in Chongqing, Tao Lin, vice president of the United States (U.S.)-based automaker, discussed the company's localization efforts and highlighted the positive effects of China's economic stimulus policies on foreign businesses operating in the country.
The vice president attended a matchmaking meeting held during a roundtable meeting between the country's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and U.S. multinational enterprises in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Monday, where representatives from over 60 multinational companies from Europe, the U.S., Japan, and South Korea participated in discussions on cooperation and investment opportunities.
She noted Tesla's high level of localization in China, which has led to increased efficiency and effective cost management.
"Over 95 percent of our supply chain is in China, and 99.9 percent of our employees are localized. We find that local teams are highly efficient, and local suppliers respond quickly and efficiently. At the same time, our local team also does an excellent job in cost management and control. That's why I think Tesla has done a great job when it comes to localization, which also contributes to global development," said Tao.
China's central bank, together with the country's top securities regulator and financial regulator, announced in September a raft of stimulus measures, including a 0.5 percentage points reduction in the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) and a one-trillion-yuan (about 140.42 billion U.S. dollars) liquidity injection into the financial market, to promote high-quality economic growth.
When asked about the impact of these policies on American companies in China, Tao emphasized that the stimulus measures have boosted consumer confidence, driving consumption and injecting momentum into companies' future development.
"I think the direct impact on enterprises will be related to market confidence. That said, we need to see consumer confidence rebound, which will ultimately affect consumption trends. Because for any company, the most important thing is that your products are being purchased. Those products need to have a market and need to be accepted by the public. So, confidence is very important. You must have confidence in the market before you can do the back-end research, development and production," she said.
Tesla benefits from staffing, talent localization strategy in China: vice president
China on Sunday made public a plan on special initiatives to increase consumption, as the world's second-largest economy moves to make domestic demand the main engine and anchor of economic growth.
The plan, issued by the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council, aims to vigorously boost consumption, stimulate domestic demand across the board, and increase spending power by raising earnings and reducing financial burdens.
It also aims to generate effective demand through high-quality supply, improve the consumption environment to strengthen consumer willingness to spend, and address prominent constraints on consumption.
The plan, organized into eight major sections, adopts a holistic approach by simultaneously addressing factors such as income growth, service consumption quality enhancement, big-ticket consumption upgrading, and consumption environment improvement.
The plan aims to promote reasonable wage growth by strengthening employment support in response to economic conditions and improving the minimum wage adjustment mechanisms. China will expand property income channels through measures to stabilize the stock market and develop more bond products suitable for individual investors.
"The most basic or core issue in promoting consumption is that ordinary people have the ability and dare to consume. The key to improving consumption capacity is to increase income," said Wang Wei, a researcher at the Development Research Center of the State Council.
The plan calls for exploring ways to unlock the values of houses legally owned by farmers through rental arrangements, equity participation and cooperative models.
Notably, the plan emphasizes both traditional consumption sectors like housing and automobiles, alongside emerging categories such as artificial intelligence-powered products, low-altitude economy and silver tourism.
By connecting consumer spending to broader social goals like elderly care improvement, childcare support and work-life balance, the plan embeds consumption growth within China's wider development objectives, signaling that consumption is being positioned not just as an economic target but as a means to enhance quality of life.
Accordingly, China will consider establishing a childcare subsidy system. It will guide eligible regions to include individuals in flexible employment, rural migrant workers, and those in new forms of employment who are covered by the basic medical insurance for employees, in the country's childbirth insurance program.
Regarding elderly care, the country will in 2025 increase the fiscal subsidies for basic old-age benefits and basic medical insurance for rural and non-working urban residents. Additionally, basic pension benefits for retirees will be appropriately raised.
The country will work to strictly implement the paid annual leave system -- ensuring that workers' rights to rest and vacation are legally protected. It will also prohibit the unlawful extension of working hours.
Financial institutions will be encouraged to increase the issuance of personal consumption loans, provided risks are controllable. They should reasonably set loan limits, terms and interest rates, according to the plan.
Zou Yunhan, a researcher with the State Information Center, said consumption is playing an increasingly important role in boosting economic growth, but that some challenges still remain in the quest to further unlock consumer potential.
"We need to see the specific difficulties in people's lives, which are important aspects that affect people's willingness to consume. The plan will further alleviate people's worries from various aspects such as childbirth, raising children, elderly care, and medical care, so that everyone can have a better quality of life, and then they will be more willing to consume," Zou said.
China will accelerate the development and application of new technologies and products including autonomous driving, smart wearables, ultra-high-definition video, brain-computer interfaces, robotics and additive manufacturing, more commonly known as 3D printing, to create new high-growth consumption sectors.
These measures reveal a geographically nuanced approach, with targeted policies for rural areas, regions rich in ice and snow resources, and urban centers -- allowing local authorities flexibility via implementation based on regional conditions.
Support will also be given to ice and snow resource-rich regions to help them develop into globally recognized winter tourism destinations. The plan also emphasizes developing inbound consumption by systematically expanding unilateral visa-free arrangements and optimizing regional visa-free entry policies.
"These new forms and models of consumption can better meet people's needs for consumption upgrades and better stimulate people's enthusiasm for consumption. They can not only provide new impetus for the current consumer market, but also strong support for the continued growth of subsequent consumer markets," Zou said.
China unveils plan on special initiatives to boost consumption
