Amid trade war, Tesla secures land in Shanghai for first factory outside US

Electric auto brand Tesla Inc says it has secured land in Shanghai for its first factory outside the United States, pushing ahead despite mounting US-Chinese trade tensions.   

Tesla said Wednesday it signed a "land transfer agreement" on a 210-acre (84-hectare) site for the factory. It announced the plan for a China factory in July after the Chinese government said it would end restrictions on full foreign ownership of electric vehicle manufacturers.

Those plans have gone ahead despite US-Chinese tensions over Beijing's technology policy.

Washington imposed penalty tariffs on Chinese goods and Beijing retaliated by raising duties on imports of American products including electric cars.

China is the biggest global electric vehicle market and Tesla's second-largest after the United States.