Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang made a surprise visit to Beijing on Thursday (Apr 17) after the United States announced fresh restrictions on the company’s exports of AI chips to China.

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Huang’s visit was arranged on the invitation of a trade organisation, according to a social media account affiliated with state media.

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Huang met Ren Hongbin, the head of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade. The state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) reported that Huang “to continue to cooperate with China,” given that it is a “key market” for the company.

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“We regularly meet with government leaders to discuss our company’s products and technology,” an Nvidia representative said.

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China Daily, the ruling Communist Party’s official English-language outlet, reported that Huang’s trip came “three months after pledging to continue cooperation with #China during his last visit”. The outlet also published a photo of him in Beijing.

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The visit comes as the US imposed new export restrictions, blocking Nvidia from shipping its H20 chip to China. The H20 was specifically designed to comply with Biden-era restrictions, which limited its sales to Chinese companies. 

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The company said that new restrictions could result in a $5.5 billion loss of revenue. On Wednesday (Apr 16), Nvidia’s shares dipped about 7 per cent.

US-China trade tensions

In a bid to compete in the race for AI supremacy with China, the Trump administration told Nvidia that the fresh rules were designed to prevent the chips from being “used in, or diverted to, a supercomputer in China.”

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The recent restrictions come amid the intensifying tech conflict between the two largest economies in the world. US President Donald Trump has imposed a series of sweeping tariffs and export bans on China as the tech industry slumps under enormous pressure.

Recently, Trump warned of imposing global tariffs on semiconductors. Huang’s visit highlights that Nvidia is still exploring ways to preserve its presence in China despite the trade restrictions.