Analysis: Musk's empire closes in on China — from orbit to the factory floor

<p class="P1" data-sourcepos="5:1-5:536;106-641">SpaceX's rapid growth in AI, satellite connectivity, and space infrastructure is widening the strategic challenge for China beyond any single industry, as Musk's companies increasingly compete across sectors Beijing considers priorities. The combination of Starlink's expanding orbital footprint, SpaceX's accelerating AI business, and Tesla's manufacturing scale could give Musk an unusually integrated platform spanning technologies central to China's efforts to build competing capabilities and reduce dependence on foreign systems.