Vivek Ramaswamy says Elon Musk's visit in China to oppose decoupling is 'deeply concerning'
Republican candidate tweets it is a 'real risk' to the U.S. when China uses celebrities and business leaders to advance its agenda
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GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy expressed deep concerns about Tesla CEO Elon Musk meeting with China’s foreign minister this week, saying it is risky to the U.S. when the communist country uses prominent business leaders as puppets.
On Tuesday, Musk met with China’s foreign minister in Beijing and reportedly said he was open to expanding Tesla’s business there.
In a statement, the Chinese ministry cited Musk as saying he "opposes decoupling," referring to fears the world may split into multiple markets with incompatible products.
Ramaswamy tweeted about his championing of Musk, but more so about his concerns about the international meeting.
"I’m breaking an unspoken rule in the GOP, but I call it like I see it: it’s deeply concerning that @elonmusk met with China’s foreign ministry yesterday to oppose decoupling and referred to the U.S. & Communist China as ‘conjoined twins,’" Ramaswamy said. "Tesla’s VP in China reposted that statement on Weibo in China, but curiously not here in the U.S."
The candidate said he has been one of the "most vocal" supporters of Musk’s work to transform Twitter, so it is a "real risk" to the U.S. when Chinese leaders take prominent business leaders and celebrities like Tim Cook, Larry Fink, Musk and LeBron James, and turn them into puppets to push communist China’s agenda forward.
FILE: Vivek Ramaswamy speaks with the Associated Press with supporters nearby, at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2023, Friday, March 3, 2023, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon / AP Newsroom)
"That tilts the global scales of perception in China’s favor – and sadly, it’s working," Ramaswamy said. "The U.S. needs leaders who aren’t in China’s pocket, yet Biden is just another embodiment of that same problem."
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Ramaswamy is one of several Republicans seeking the party’s nomination for the White House in 2024.
He is also a health care and tech sector entrepreneur, best-selling author, conservative commentator and crusader in the culture wars.
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The 37-year-old announced his candidacy in February, saying his vision centers on restoring the "national identity in America."
Fox News' Julia Musto contributed to this report.