Nvidia’s China Business Still Hostage to Geopolitics

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang must feel like a child whose parents are perpetually at war. Weeks after he glimpsed a chance to resume sales of AI chips to China—thanks to approval from President Donald Trump—China has said, “Not so fast.” As our Hong Kong reporter Qianer Liu scooped today, the Chinese government has asked local tech companies to temporarily halt any plans to buy Nvidia’s H200 chips. 

China may yet approve imports of the chips, but the volume it will allow could be very limited. Qianer’s story said officials are considering whether to require Chinese firms to buy a certain ratio of domestically made chips alongside any H200 purchases. Basically, China is reminding everyone that it is the decider, not Trump. And China will take its time deciding.