# China reportedly allows ByteDance and Tencent to import 10,000 H200 chips

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/china-reportedly-allows-bytedance-and-tencent-to-import-10000-h200-chips/
- Published: 2026-08-19T07:11:10+00:00
- Updated: 2026-08-19T07:33:28+00:00
- Original publisher: Engadget
- Original article: https://www.engadget.com/2239738/china-reportedly-allows-bytedance-tencent-import-10000-h200-chips/
- Topics: Asia, World

## Key points

- ByteDance and Tencent each received 10,000 Nvidia H200 chips recently
- China previously restricted imports to boost its own chip industry
- Firms told to route most orders via Hong Kong, not mainland China

## Summary

China has reportedly relaxed restrictions to allow ByteDance and Tencent to import 10,000 Nvidia H200 chips each in recent weeks, according to the Financial Times, as Beijing seeks to help domestic firms train advanced AI models. This marks a shift in China's stance, as authorities had previously been cautious about the influx of American chips to protect the country's own semiconductor industry. The Times reports other Chinese companies could soon receive similar shipments, with both ByteDance and Tencent currently developing their own AI models and agents.

The move follows a series of policy changes: the US banned H200 sales to China over military technology concerns before permitting sales to approved customers in December 2025, by which point the chip was already two years old. Reuters had reported in January that China agreed to import several hundred thousand H200 units, and in May that the US approved ten Chinese firms, including ByteDance and Tencent, to buy them. Although both companies can purchase up to 100,000 chips each, China reportedly wants most kept off the mainland to support domestic chipmakers, instructing firms to route orders through Hong Kong despite neither company having data centres there.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.