Elon Musk's company SpaceX has allowed Chinese investors to acquire stakes in the business through offshore structures such as the Cayman Islands, which came to light during a corporate dispute in the Delaware court. SpaceX CFO Bret Johnsen and major investor Ikbaldjit Kahlon confirmed the admission of Chinese investors through offshore jurisdictions. Kahlon stated that this approach is considered "acceptable" for SpaceX.
SpaceX is a Pentagon contractor involved in secret projects, including the creation of an intelligence satellite network. In 2021, a $50 million deal with a Chinese company was canceled after public disclosure due to the risk of regulatory intervention. The current practice of using offshore structures allows circumventing strict checks by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). SpaceX did not comment on requests from ProPublica and TechCrunch, leaving questions about the motivation behind these schemes and the level of involvement of foreign players unanswered.