The trip is Musk's first to China since he made headlines in early 2020 by dancing on stage at Tesla's Shanghai gigafactory

"If we have a choice of either our people go to prison or we comply with the laws, we will comply with the laws," Elon Musk said in a BBC broadcast live on Twitter Spaces

The move has fuelled talk among colleagues he is being groomed for a bigger role in Tesla, at a time when chief executive Elon Musk has been distracted by Twitter

The Tesla billionaire has argued that allowing Beijing a say in running the disputed island would reduce tensions

It was the 32nd launch of 2022 and the intense activity is due to the company's race to build a constellation of Starlink broadband satellites

Elon Musk, its chief executive, has demanded the company ramp up battery production, especially of its so-called 4680, denoting the diameter (46mm) and height (80mm)

The social media platform has sued to hold Musk to his $44 billion takeover offer and a Delaware judge said it deserved a quick resolution of the deal's uncertainty

The suit is likely to be one of the most closely followed business battles of all time, pitching the colourful executive against the western commentariat's favourite arena

Musk previously said that vehicles Starlink was expected to be used with were aircraft, ships, large trucks and recreation vehicles such as motorhomes

The Tesla chief executive said a shortage of batteries and machinery tools stuck in Chinese ports is taking a big toll on output and revenue.

China is concerned about Elon Musk's ties to the US military and the role his satellites could play in a war in Asia, which means Tesla's access to the Chinese market could be at risk

Former Tesla workers have filed a lawsuit claiming the 'mass layoff' was illegal because people got no advance warning. And some of Tesla's top diversity advocates were among those sacked.