I asked him that question, ‘Did you have any idea she was a spy?’ He said, ‘I had no idea she was a spy,’ and I really believe him
By Njoku Vincent
US President Donald Trump has disclosed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating allegations involving Nvidia Chief Executive Officer, Jensen Huang, and a woman suspected of being a Chinese spy.
Trump made this known while speaking to reporters at the White House, saying he had spoken with Huang on Monday to seek clarification over reports that the technology executive had been targeted in a Chinese espionage operation.
The president said Huang denied having any knowledge of the woman’s alleged intelligence links, adding that he believed the explanation.
“I asked him that question, ‘Did you have any idea she was a spy?’ He said, ‘I had no idea she was a spy,’ and I really believe him,” Trump said.
He confirmed that the FBI was looking into the matter but did not provide details about the investigation or when it commenced. The FBI declined to comment on the development.
According to a report by The New York Times, US intelligence officials believe the woman, identified as Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, was working for Beijing.
She is reportedly not related to the Nvidia chief executive.
The newspaper reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had sent a memo to senior officials in Washington last spring, warning about Huang’s close relationship with the suspected Chinese intelligence operative.
Alice Huang reportedly served as managing director of Singapore-based company Megaspeed, which had business dealings with Nvidia.
Nvidia, in response to the allegations, said it had no reason to believe that its trade secrets or US national security interests had been compromised. The company has also commissioned an independent investigation into the matter.
The development has attracted significant attention because Nvidia is a major player in the global artificial intelligence industry and a central figure in the technological rivalry between the United States and China.
The company, which designs advanced computer chips used in artificial intelligence systems, is currently the world’s second most valuable company after Apple.
Reports surrounding the alleged espionage affair triggered a sharp market reaction on Monday, wiping approximately $250 billion off Nvidia’s market value after its shares fell by more than four per cent.
Meanwhile, Huang and Nvidia have been named in a proposed class-action lawsuit filed in California, accusing them of misleading shareholders by concealing the Nvidia chief executive’s alleged relationship with the suspected Chinese spy.
The lawsuit alleges that the company misrepresented Huang’s relationship with Alice Huang, who is suspected of attempting to facilitate the smuggling of Nvidia products into China.
The BBC said it had contacted Nvidia for comments on the lawsuit.
China has rejected the allegations, with its Foreign Ministry describing claims that Beijing targeted Huang in an espionage operation as “entirely groundless, speculative and intended to smear and malign China”.
Trump said he considered Huang an honourable person and expressed confidence that he would emerge favourably from the investigations.
“I hope there’s no problem. I believe he is suffering greatly,” the president said.
He added that he expected Chinese President Xi Jinping to raise the matter during their next meeting, amid continuing concerns in Washington over China’s growing artificial intelligence capabilities and their potential military and surveillance applications.