Elon Musk wants to be a statesman. Most bosses would rather not
Save time by listening to our audio articles as you multitaskLike diplomats, chief executives often deal with unsavoury regimes. The two groups have other things in common. For one thing, both are invited to talk on panels with titles like “The New Global Order” . Both also spend lots of time jetting around the world. Somes even end up becoming statesmen. Rex Tillerson, the former boss of ExxonMobil, an oil giant, served as America’s secretary of state under Donald Trump.
While bosses are busy encroaching on foreign affairs, foreign affairs are gradually encroaching on them. The result is a tangle. Western politicians—along with consumers and employees—now want companies to speak out against issues like China’s treatment of its Uyghur minority in Xinjiang. Increasingly boycott-prone consumers in China, meanwhile, have become highly sensitive towards any perceived criticism of their government.
In the years after the Soviet Union’s collapse, the consensus in the West was that greater economic integration would bring prosperity and political liberalisation to countries with oppressive governments. In such a world, global expansion would not just be good for business; it would be good for peace and democracy, too. But reality has turned out differently.
Things get considerably more difficult when it comes to the planet’s second-biggest economy. China is not only the world’s manufacturer, but also an important consumer market. The fact that it represents nearly 40% of global car sales and is Volkswagen’s largest market helps explain why Oliver Blume, the German carmaker’s new boss, recently dismissed calls to close its factory in Xinjiang, a decision he described as “taking our values to the world”.
s who play moralists with respect to Vladimir Putin are hard-pressed to justify—in ethical terms, if not financial ones—why they embrace realpolitik when it comes to Xi Jinping. Mr Putin’s war crimes are atrocious, but are they different in kind from the mistreatment of Uyghurs, which the Biden administration has called “genocide”?s would rather leave to real Kissingers. Helpfully, the professionals are increasingly obliging.
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