China’s commerce minister meets Tesla’s Musk, promises support to foreign companies

BEIJING (AP) — China’s commerce minister met Tesla Ltd. CEO Elon Musk and promised to support the development of foreign companies. Musk joined a series of CEOs from global companies including Apple Inc. who have met with Cabinet officials this year following the end of anti-virus controls that blocked most travel into China. The ruling Communist Party is trying to revive investor interest in China’s slowing economy and reassure companies that have been rattled by anti-monopoly and data-security crackdowns, raids on consulting firms and tension with Washington. The commerce minister, Wang Wentao, said Beijing will “support long-term, stable development of foreign-invested enterprises in China.”