China says US ‘fabricating’ Nvidia spy claims to justify tech ‘blockade’

China has urged ⁠⁠⁠⁠the ⁠⁠⁠⁠United States to stop “fabricating so-called spy narratives and ⁠⁠⁠⁠using them as a pretext for imposing ⁠⁠⁠⁠a technological blockade”, amid national security concerns that emerged over an affair involving Nvidia’s CEO.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning made the comments at a press briefing on Thursday when asked about allegations that the woman with whom Nvidia’s Jensen Huang had a relationship was a Chinese spy.

Mao said that China’s scientific and ⁠⁠⁠⁠technological progress was ⁠⁠⁠⁠driven by independent innovation and open cooperation, adding that Beijing was willing ⁠⁠⁠⁠to work with the US to implement a consensus reached ‌‌‌‌by their two heads of state. US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to ease tariffs and lift restrictions on tech to de-escalate tensions following tit-for-tat tariffs in a trade deal in Busan, South Korea.

The remarks come ahead of a meeting next week between Trump and Xi at the APEC gathering in Shenzhen, southern China.

Huang, who co-founded Nvidia and turned it into the world’s leading supplier of the chips that power artificial intelligence (AI), has admitted to having an extramarital affair. The woman was reported to be Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed who US officials believe worked for Chinese intelligence.

Megaspeed on Thursday said it takes compliance obligations under US export control laws “extremely seriously” and that it “is committed to working constructively and transparently with the US government”.

Nvidia’s 63-year-old boss has spent years lobbying against curbs on sales of advanced chips to China. Last year Trump cleared Nvidia’s H200 chips for export to China despite objections from Republicans and Democrats who fear Chinese dominance in AI technology.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied the claims, calling them “entirely groundless, speculative and intended to smear and malign China”.

Huang’s position at the top of the $4.2 trillion company hangs in the balance after Nvidia launched an investigation into him on Sunday. It is unclear whether the tech giant has a succession plan.