Elon Musk’s SpaceX Relies Heavily on Chinese Exports, Trade Data Reveals
We obtained U.S. Customs and Border Protection data on imports. It's not just Tesla that relies on foreign suppliers.
Elon Musk, a vocal supporter of Donald Trump throughout the past year, has abruptly changed his tone following the administration's recent tariff orders.
After initial silence, the billionaire businessman and presidential advisor began publicly criticizing the policy. "I hope it's agreed that both Europe and the United States should move ideally, in my view, to a zero-tariff situation, effectively creating a free-trade zone between Europe and North America," Musk said Saturday.
The tech mogul then directed his criticism toward Peter Navarro, Trump's chief trade advisor. "A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing," Musk wrote on social media, referring to Navarro. In a now-deleted follow-up message, he added: "He ain't built shit."
When asked about these comments on CNBC yesterday, Navarro attributed Musk's position to self-interest. Musk, according to Navarro, is not a "car manufacturer" but a "car assembler" dependent on imports. "He wants the cheap foreign parts, and we understand that," Navarro said.
This marks the second instance where Musk's business interests have conflicted with the MAGA movement. In December, he forcefully rejected calls for H-1B foreign visa program reforms, arguing that foreign workers were crucial to his companies' success.
"The
reason I'm in America along with so many critical people who built
SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that made America strong
is because of H1B," Musk wrote in response to critics. He mocked
opponents and promised a "war on this issue the likes of which you
cannot possibly comprehend."
The tariff dispute
highlights tensions between Musk's financial interests and the Trump
administration's trade agenda. Import data obtained from U.S. Customs
and Border Protection illustrates the extensive global supply network
powering the billionaire's business empire.
The records show over 30,000 shipments of various products imported by Musk's companies. While Tesla's reliance on imports is well-documented, the data reveals that SpaceX and The Boring Company also maintain significant global supply chains.
Recent imports include tunneling gaskets from Germany, printed circuit boards from Vietnam, electronic cables from China, lithium-ion batteries from Japan, copper foil from Taiwan, and battery separator film from South Korea—all delivered to Musk-controlled companies within the past month.
The Trump
administration's newly announced heavy tariffs—including additional
levies against Chinese-owned ships and Chinese exports—will directly
impact Musk's core businesses. SpaceX, for instance, heavily depends on
Taiwanese-operated factories in mainland China, including ESON Precision
Engineering, Lite-On, and HonHai Precision Industry.
SpaceX's
imports by country of origin show dependence on seven major nations,
with thousands of shipments forming an intricate supply network critical
to Musk's operations:
SpaceX, notably, is a major military and U.S. government contractor. Reuters recently reported
that the company has begun work on a new network on spy satellites for
the National Reconnaissance Office, an intelligence arm of the Defense
Department.
Last month, SpaceX requested tariff
exemptions on Chinese-manufactured equipment used for its satellite
internet business. The company petitioned the U.S. Trade Representative
to reduce tariffs from 25 percent to zero on various Chinese-made goods,
promising eventual production shifts to U.S. plants.