SHANGHAI (Reuters) -A top Tesla China executive said on Wednesday the U.S. automaker values the role of China-based suppliers and does not exclude any on the basis of country of origin or geographical location.

The remark by Grace Tao, on Chinese social media platform Weibo, came after the Wall Street Journal said this month that Tesla has been requiring suppliers to exclude China-made components in its manufacture of cars in the United States.

“Whether in the United States, China or Europe, Tesla applies the same strict and objective standards for selecting suppliers across its global production facilities,” Tao said.

“The country of origin or geographical source of the supplier does not constitute an exclusionary criterion,” added Tao, who is Tesla’s vice president charged with handli

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