China newspaper dismisses Nvidia’s Jensen Huang spy claim, warns on ties

• The Global Times denied Beijing had any link to Nvidia chief Jensen Huang’s affair, calling US spy claims “fabricated” and warning they could damage China-US tech and trade ties.
• Huang has admitted an affair with a woman reported as a suspected Chinese spy. Nvidia is setting up an independent board committee, and House Republicans want a briefing with Huang.
• The row comes before Donald Trump’s visit to China for an APEC summit in Shenzhen, where he will meet Xi Jinping. The talks will test a fragile trade truce after midterm losses for Trump’s party.

BEIJING – A Chinese state-run newspaper denied Beijing had any link to Nvidia Corp chief executive officer Jensen Huang’s extramarital affair, accusing American media outlets of spreading a fabricated spy narrative and warning the issue could hurt ties.

The Global Times, a nationalist tabloid, said American outlets, in particular The New York Times, were “going crazy” with speculative stories.

“All it took were a few photographs showing Asian faces and Nvidia’s previous efforts to push for relaxing trade curbs on China,” the commentary said. “This is precisely how American media, which have long styled themselves as objective, manufacture stories.”

“Whenever China-US relations begin to improve, someone often fires a cold shot from behind,” it said, claiming there were likely behind-the-scenes efforts to “stir up confrontation” without providing any evidence.

It warned that an “anti-China script” would disrupt normal tech and trade exchanges, and damage the interests of both sides.

Huang has admitted to an affair with a woman identified in a series of reports as a suspected Chinese spy.

Last week, key House Republicans requested a briefing with Huang to discuss his dealings with Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le.

To investigate the case, the Nvidia board is assembling a committee of independent directors who will work with outside counsel, according to a statement on Nov 8.

On Oct 30, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said a New York Times report that Huang was the target of a spy plot was “unsubstantiated”.

“It is nothing but smears against China,” Guo said at the time.

US President Donald Trump is set to visit China next week for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, where he will have his third sit-down with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in 2026.

The meeting will be closely watched for signs the leaders can sustain a fragile trade truce, especially after Trump’s Republican Party lost control of Congress in midterm elections.

The Global Times commentary compared the Huang episode with an incident in 2023 in which a Chinese balloon flew over the US, causing a diplomatic dispute.

Beijing said a civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research strayed off course due to the weather, while Washington described it as a surveillance aircraft and shot it down over the sea. BLOOMBERG