China denies spy plot targeting Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, calls allegations ‘smear’

China on Monday rejected allegations of a spying operation targeting Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, dismissing reports of a suspected Chinese intelligence plot as a smear campaign against Beijing.

“The so-called Chinese spy narrative is purely a groundless accusation, slander, and a smear,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters during a regular news briefing in Beijing on Monday.

The denial comes after Nvidia announced an independent investigation into reports that Huang had been the “target of a foreign intelligence effort.”

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The New York Times previously reported that U.S. intelligence officials determined Huang had developed a close relationship with Alice Huang, an unrelated Chinese business executive at Singapore-based company Megaspeed whom U.S. authorities suspect of gathering information for Beijing.

Huang acknowledged an extramarital affair in a letter to Nvidia employees Sunday but did not identify the woman involved. He pledged to cooperate with the company’s investigation and emphasized his commitment to U.S. national security.

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Beijing has also pushed back against the broader reporting, with some Chinese state media suggesting the allegations were intended to undermine U.S.-China relations.

“Whenever China-US relations begin to improve, there are often those firing shots from the shadows,” China’s state-owned Global Times wrote.

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Nvidia’s board has said it has “no reason to believe” that national security or company secrets were compromised.

Reuters contributed to this report.