When he was the Chinese Communist Party boss in Shanghai, Li Qiang climbed into the driver seat of a Tesla Model 3 beside Elon Musk, who drew a smiley face on car's display screen to match Li's wide grin.
The moment, in 2018, was important for both men. Tesla had just become China's first wholly foreign-owned automaker, giving Musk a critical foothold in the world's largest car market.