Beijing Rejects Espionage Allegations Involving Nvidia's Chief Executive
At a Glance
Beijing officially dismissed the espionage allegations involving Nvidia's chief executive as groundless.
Nvidia launched an independent board inquiry after CEO Jensen Huang acknowledged an extramarital affair.
President Donald Trump defended Huang, confirming plans to include him on an upcoming trip to China.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun dismissed the intelligence allegations involving Nvidia's CEO as "unsubstantiated," characterizing the report as an effort to defame China.
Key Statement and Focus Area
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular briefing “The so-called Chinese spy allegation is unsubstantiated. It is nothing but smears against China,”
The New York Times first reported the espionage allegations involving Nvidia’s CEO, detailing a classified U.S. intelligence investigation into a foreign intelligence effort targeting the technology firm.
Following the initial investigative reporting, Nvidia announced it has opened an independent investigation into its co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Jensen Huang.
The decision came after Huang acknowledged to the company's board of directors that he had been intimate with a business executive, identified in intelligence reports as Alice Huang (also known as Huang Le).
According to disclosures, U.S. intelligence agencies concluded the executive was a foreign operative feeding information directly to Beijing, raising concerns regarding the potential circumvention of export restrictions on advanced artificial intelligence hardware.
In an open letter posted on the company's website, Huang issued a public apology to his family and the organization for being unfaithful, stating there was no excuse for his actions.
He explicitly noted his full support for the inquiry, adding that he is committed to protecting the firm and supporting American national security.
Nvidia’s board stated it currently has no reason to believe that national security or corporate secrets were compromised, clarifying that an outside counsel will be selected to lead the examination.
Company spokesman John Rizzo confirmed that the ongoing inquiry will not cause an interruption to the executive leadership structure, as Huang continues to direct all business operations.
Trump Defends Tech Executive Ahead of Trip
U.S. President Donald Trump publicly defended Huang, describing him as an honorable person who has done an exceptional job for the country.
Speaking to reporters, Trump stated that he intends to include the technology executive on his upcoming diplomatic trip to China, noting that he had not seen evidence of wrongdoing.
Trump also revealed that he had been informed roughly a year ago that the U.S. intelligence community was electronically surveilling the female executive at the center of the probe, expressing no regrets regarding his administration's handling of the matter at the time.
When asked directly by journalists whether the co-founder should retain his position at the helm of the semiconductor firm, the president affirmed that he should remain in place.
FYI
The subject of the investigation, Alice Huang, previously worked as a television reporter in China before serving as a top executive at Megaspeed International, a Singapore-based data center company and major regional chip buyer.
Corporate records indicate the entity purchased over $4.8 billion in hardware since June 2024, though it previously faced allegations of illicitly shipping advanced processors into China.
Following the public disclosure of the scandal and the announcement of the internal corporate board review, Nvidia shares fell approximately 5% in early trading.
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