Trump Defends Nvidia CEO Huang Over Alleged China Spy Affair
(MENAFN) Donald Trump publicly backed Nvidia chief Jensen Huang on Sunday, as reports of a relationship with a suspected Chinese intelligence operative triggered a board investigation at the chipmaker.
Pressed by reporters about the allegations, the US president offered a firm show of support, calling Huang an “honorable guy.” He went on: “I think he’s an honorable guy. I think he probably has an excuse for it. You have to hear it. He’s done an amazing job for our country.”
The president’s remarks came after a major US newspaper reported Sunday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio directed the drafting of a classified intelligence memo. It warned senior administration officials about Huang’s close ties to the alleged operative.
The memo was prepared under Rubio’s supervision in the spring and circulated among top national security officials before Trump’s May state visit to China.
According to the report, the intelligence grew out of electronic surveillance of Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang, who has no family connection to the Nvidia CEO. She held a senior executive role at Megaspeed International, a Singapore-based data center firm. The company bought advanced artificial intelligence processors while under federal investigation over suspected chip smuggling into mainland China.
Analysts then set out to identify an American whose intercepted messages pointed to an intimate relationship with Alice Huang. That review traced the communications to Jensen Huang, the report said.
US counterintelligence agencies ultimately determined that China’s Ministry of State Security had recruited Alice Huang as an operative.
Jensen Huang was first left off the official business delegation traveling with Trump to China. After media coverage highlighted his absence, Trump reportedly stepped in and brought the Nvidia chief aboard Air Force One during a refueling stop in Alaska, hailing him as “the Great Jensen Huang.”
Trump has not moved to restrict Huang or Nvidia. He reportedly regards the company’s dominance of the chip market as vital to American economic competitiveness and to the stability of financial markets.
Pressed by reporters about the allegations, the US president offered a firm show of support, calling Huang an “honorable guy.” He went on: “I think he’s an honorable guy. I think he probably has an excuse for it. You have to hear it. He’s done an amazing job for our country.”
The president’s remarks came after a major US newspaper reported Sunday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio directed the drafting of a classified intelligence memo. It warned senior administration officials about Huang’s close ties to the alleged operative.
The memo was prepared under Rubio’s supervision in the spring and circulated among top national security officials before Trump’s May state visit to China.
According to the report, the intelligence grew out of electronic surveillance of Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang, who has no family connection to the Nvidia CEO. She held a senior executive role at Megaspeed International, a Singapore-based data center firm. The company bought advanced artificial intelligence processors while under federal investigation over suspected chip smuggling into mainland China.
Analysts then set out to identify an American whose intercepted messages pointed to an intimate relationship with Alice Huang. That review traced the communications to Jensen Huang, the report said.
US counterintelligence agencies ultimately determined that China’s Ministry of State Security had recruited Alice Huang as an operative.
Jensen Huang was first left off the official business delegation traveling with Trump to China. After media coverage highlighted his absence, Trump reportedly stepped in and brought the Nvidia chief aboard Air Force One during a refueling stop in Alaska, hailing him as “the Great Jensen Huang.”
Trump has not moved to restrict Huang or Nvidia. He reportedly regards the company’s dominance of the chip market as vital to American economic competitiveness and to the stability of financial markets.
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