In the high-tech center of the world, technology and capital are moving from merely lobbying Washington to reshaping it, a trend that poses ongoing challenges to the structure of political power in the United States.

Tesla has had an exciting entrance into China, but the future of the electric vehicle company will be determined by how China and the United States prioritize the industry.

China has kept strict rules on foreign automotive manufacturing investment for decades, but a projected deal by Tesla Motors in Shanghai may break a taboo on majority foreign ownership, and herald a new age for vehicle investors in the world’s largest auto market.