China rejects Nvidia espionage narrative as pretext for tech curbs

China’s Foreign Ministry urged the United States on November 12 not to use allegations of Chinese espionage involving Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang to justify technology restrictions, with spokesperson Mao Ning describing the narrative as fabricated. The allegations have not been independently established in the reports, and the ministry’s remarks came as the two countries faced questions about expected leaders’ talks and U.S. controls on advanced chips.

At a regular briefing, Mao said China’s technological progress depended on independent innovation and open cooperation. She called on Washington to stop using what she described as a Chinese spy narrative as a pretext for restricting China’s technology development. Chinese official accounts of her remarks used the phrase technological blockade.

The allegations concern claims that Chinese intelligence targeted Huang, Nvidia’s co-founder and chief executive. Reports have linked the case to Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman and former executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed International. The claims remain unproven; the reports do not establish that she worked for Chinese intelligence or that an espionage operation took place.