‘Attempt to smear China’: Beijing denies spy plot targeting Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang

China on Friday (Oct 30) rejected allegations that a Chinese businesswoman had gathered intelligence on Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang for Beijing, calling the claims an attempt to tarnish its image. This comes following a report alleging that US intelligence agencies had uncovered a suspected Chinese espionage operation involving the technology executive.

Foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun dismissed the report during a regular briefing, saying: “The report in question is based on groundless speculation and is nothing more than an attempt to smear China.”

What did the report claim?

According to The New York Times, US intelligence agencies suspected Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, a Chinese businesswoman linked to Singapore-based data centre firm Megaspeed, of gathering information for Beijing. The report said she had developed a close relationship with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, although the two are not related.

US investigators were also examining whether Megaspeed had helped divert advanced Nvidia AI chips to China, potentially bypassing American export restrictions. Surveillance reportedly uncovered communications between Alice Huang and an American citizen, who was later identified as Jensen Huang through a process known as “unmasking”.

Also read | Nvidia dismisses report alleging Chinese executive tied to CEO Jensen Huang passed intel to Beijing

The report further claimed that US President Donald Trump had been briefed on the intelligence findings roughly a year ago but chose not to act on the information. It remains unclear what information Alice Huang allegedly passed to Beijing, how valuable it was or when the suspected intelligence-gathering activity began.

Nvidia rejects national security concerns

Nvidia said the interactions between its chief executive and Alice Huang were part of routine business engagements.

A company spokesperson said Megaspeed was like any other regional customer, adding that “Jensen’s interactions with Ms Huang are not unusual or unexpected.” The spokesperson also maintained that regional cloud customers receive “ordinary business information” rather than sensitive trade secrets or information relevant to national security.

Megaspeed, meanwhile, has appointed external legal advisers to investigate the allegations and informed the US government of its willingness to cooperate.

US-China technology rivalry in focus

The allegations emerge against the backdrop of Washington’s restrictions on advanced semiconductor exports to China, introduced in 2022 over national security concerns. The dispute highlights the growing sensitivity surrounding access to AI technology as both countries compete for dominance in the sector.