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.

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.