E-Paper
China's state-run newspaper denies Beijing's link to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's affair with alleged spy
The Global Times dismissed any suggestion that China was tied to the tech billionaire's personal conduct.
Prefer HTon Google
A Chinese newspaper on Monday hit back at American media, accusing them of spreading a spy narrative around Nvidia chief executive officer (CEO) Jensen Huang's admitted extramarital affair. The state-run outlet argued that whenever bilateral ties between the US and China show signs of recovery, interests emerge.
The Global Times dismissed any suggestion that China was tied to the tech billionaire's personal conduct.
China on Monday rejected the claims that it had spied on Jensen Huang and called the allegations "baseless", AFP reported.
Deep Dive
At a regular briefing, China's foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said, "We have responded to this matter previously. The narrative of a so-called Chinese spy is entirely baseless vilification and smearing."
'Similar situations occurred in past': Chinese newspaper
The Global Times argued that the US media coverage stretched far beyond gossip. It claimed that American media seized on a mix of a high-profile corporate figure, an extramarital affair, and an alleged foreign spy to launch an "frenzy", effectively treating Huang's admission of infidelity as confirmation of state-backed espionage.
"It stems largely from a speculative report published by The New York Times a few days ago. That report claimed that the woman with whom Jensen Huang had an affair was a "Chinese spy," " it said.
It further asserted that the claims were pieced together merely from images of a "woman with Asian features", Nvidia's previous efforts to relax trade curbs on China, and anonymous tips.
"Similar situations have repeatedly occurred in the past: Whenever China-US relations begin to improve, there are often those firing shots from the shadows," the Global Times further said.
Drawing a parallel to the 2023 Chinese balloon dispute that reportedly triggered a diplomatic standoff, the Global Times commentary maintained that the situation remains an internal US corporate and personal matter.
It also warned that an "anti-China script" could disrupt normal tech and trade exchanges, and damage the interests of both sides.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's acknowledgement of extramarital affair
Nvidia's board on Sunday said it had launched an investigation into Huang after he acknowledged an affair with a woman US officials say was working for Chinese intelligence, according to AFP.
The NYT had reported last month that US intelligence officials concluded that Alice Huang, a Chinese executive linked to a Singapore-based data center company, had been funneling information to China.
Addressing the company employees in a message released Sunday, the Nvidia chief acknowledged having an affair and apologised to his family and company staff.
(with inputs from agencies)
