Elon Musk praised China's efforts to develop artificial intelligence, remarks that reflected the billionaire's efforts to stay in the good graces of China.

Musk praised China's AI development in remarks delivered by video at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai. Musk has been involved in the development of AI for several years, although he has also criticized the industry after OpenAI released its chatbot ChatGPT. He's also maintained a positive relationship with China, regularly praising its industry despite the tenuous relationship that the United States maintains with the other world power.

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“I think there’s a tremendous number of very smart, very talented people in China,” Musk said. “I’ve always been a tremendous admirer of the sheer amount of talent and drive that exists in China. So I think, really, China’s going to be great at anything it puts its mind to. So that includes, you know, many different sectors, sectors of the economy but also artificial intelligence. So, I think China will have very strong AI capability — [that] is my prediction.”

Musk has spoken in favor of China and the Chinese Communist Party in the past and has appeared at diplomatic events with CCP leaders. China's ambassador to the United States posted pictures of him riding with Musk in a Model S Plaid in March.

Musk said in an interview that China is "probably going to have an economy two to three times the size of the United States" and that Tesla has a "good relationship."

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China accounts for a significant portion of Musk's Tesla market sales. The Chinese market accounts for 40% of all Tesla sales, according to data published by the China Passenger Car Association. Musk also operates a factory in Shanghai and announced a new battery factory in April.

Musk has also had a complicated relationship with AI. He was one of the initial funders of OpenAI in 2015, but withdrew his funding in 2018 due to a "future conflict of interest" related to Tesla. He signed a letter in late March asking for a temporary freeze on all AI training. A month later, Musk was exploring options to launch his own AI startup.