US official: 'Nvidia matter should have no impact on visit'

Semiconductor export controls 'not subject to negotiations with China'

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) speaks with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on Sept. 24 (local time). [AP]
Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) speaks with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on Sept. 24 (local time). [AP]

Donald Trump is not expected to raise allegations of Chinese espionage involving Nvidia's CEO at his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday.

A US government official told the Financial Times on Saturday (local time) that Trump was not expected to bring up the matter of Alice Huang.

Alice Huang is a former executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore-based company that was an Nvidia customer, and is reported to have had an extramarital relationship with former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. US intelligence authorities suspect she may have been recruited as a spy by Chinese intelligence services.

Megaspeed is also under suspicion of having smuggled Nvidia semiconductors into China in violation of US export controls. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has faced calls to account after reports that the Commerce Department delayed adding Megaspeed to its export control entity list.

US officials, however, said the Nvidia-related matter should not affect the bilateral summit.

"The Nvidia situation should have no impact on this visit," another US official said. "US export control issues are not subject to any discussion or negotiations with China."

The official added that export controls are a national security matter decided through interagency consultations and said the issue was not expected to come up during the visit to China.

China has strongly denied the espionage allegations against Alice Huang.

Trump will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, from Tuesday through Thursday. On Thursday, he is scheduled to hold a bilateral summit with Xi as well as a trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.


hajun825@heraldcorp.com