Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk told Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Tuesday that he was willing to expand business in China, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday after a meeting between the two in Beijing.

The meeting came hours after Musk arrived in the capital on an unannounced trip, his first to the country in more than three years, during which he is expected to meet senior Chinese officials and visit Tesla's Shanghai plant.

Musk also told Qin in the meeting that he opposed a decoupling of the US and Chinese economies, according to a foreign ministry statement.

"The interests of the United States and China are intertwined, like conjoined twins, inseparable from each other," he was quoted as saying.

Qin told Musk China was committed to improving the business environment for investors, including Tesla, and used a driving metaphor to describe China-US relations.

"We must step on the brake in time, avoid dangerous driving and be skilful at using the accelerator," the ministry quoted Qin as saying.

This week's trip comes at a time when Tesla faces intensifying competition from Chinese-made electric vehicles and some uncertainty about expansion plans for the Shanghai factory complex Musk last visited in early 2020.

China is Tesla's second-largest market after the United States, and the Shanghai plant is the electric car maker's largest production hub. (Reuters)