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- Elon Musk warned Chinese EV firms could "demolish" rivals like Tesla without trade barriers.
- It comes after BYD overtook Tesla as the world's largest producer of electric cars.
- Experts say Chinese firms can design cars quicker and are more innovative than legacy automakers.
A decade ago, Elon Musk laughed off the threat posed by Chinese electric carmaker BYD. He's not laughing now.