A Chinese city has banned Teslas from certain areas ahead of a planned visit by President Xi Jinping.
According to officials in central China’s Chengdu, authorities have been ordered to block Tesla cars from entering areas surrounding Mr. Xi’s stay.
A video, which originally surfaced on Chinese social media site Douyin, shows a traffic officer denying a Tesla driver entry into a Chengdu venue. He explains in the video that he is following a direct order. The video is no longer available.
Tesla has been the subject of bans and restrictions in China for some time over concerns the car’s internal cameras will transmit sensitive information. Since China is a massive market for Tesla, with its Shanghai factory making up at least half its global output, the company has pledged to store camera footage inside the country.
Mr. Xi is going to the city amid the World University Games, set to kick off Friday and last through Aug. 8. The president is expected to attend the opening ceremonies.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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