Trump heads to China amid Nvidia scandal: Will he get tougher on Beijing?

Donald Trump is due to meet Xi Jinping in Shenzhen next week, as scrutiny of Nvidia chief Jensen Huang’s ties to a former executive suspected by US officials of working for Chinese intelligence raises questions about whether Washington will harden its China policy. China denies the allegations, and experts say Huang’s departure from Nvidia is unlikely to shift relations directly; the bigger sources of tension are chip export restrictions and pressure within the US government.

Trump approved sales of Nvidia’s H200 chips to China in December 2025, with 25 per cent of proceeds going to the US government, despite objections from China hawks. Shipments have remained low because China has been slow to approve imports, while Democratic senators have called for records on exports to be preserved and Axios reported that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick delayed a planned crackdown on suspected chip diversion. Analysts say Trump’s China approach is hard to predict, though Congress and officials favouring tighter controls could press him to take a tougher line.