Chinese state-run newspaper calls 'political witch hunt' over Jensen Huang's alleged affair with Chinese spy

Chinese state media strongly opposed the suspicion that NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang's affair partner was linked to Chinese intelligence agencies, raising the possibility of a 'political witch hunt' involving US political interests.

On the 10th, China's state-run Global Times criticized the U.S. media for expanding CEO Huang's affair into a national security issue in an opinion piece titled 'Is the investigation into Jensen Huang counterintelligence or a political witch hunt?'

Regarding the suspicion that Alice Huang (Chinese name Huang Le), who was pointed out as CEO Hwang's affair partner, worked for the Chinese intelligence agency, the Global Times raised doubts about the suspicion, saying, "The related report relies on anonymous sources and data that the media itself has not been able to verify."

He also claimed that the U.S. media was highlighting the claims of insiders as a threat to national security and politicians were joining in, leading to a trial of public opinion even before the investigation was completed.

The media pointed to political conflict in the United States as the background for this incident.

With the U.S. Democratic Party taking control of the Senate and House of Representatives in the midterm elections, there is a possibility that congressional investigations and subpoenas of Nvidia's semiconductor business in China will become easier.

The Global Times argued, “Doubt alone cannot create the next-generation graphics processing unit (GPU),” and “We cannot win the next AI competition with excessive politicization that turns corporate activities into a security threat.”

The Hunan Daily, the mouthpiece of China's Hunan Communist Party, also claimed in a commentary titled 'Jensen Huang's affair, political strife and globalization' that this incident is being used for political conflict in the United States.

Hunan Daily claimed, “In a situation where attention is divided due to the election defeat and political interests are intertwined to hinder the improvement of US-China relations, the appearance of a Chinese woman in the private life of an American technology giant has become the easiest subject.”

He also criticized Nvidia for being used as a means of political pressure on American technology companies doing business with China, citing the fact that it has been demanding the relaxation of semiconductor export regulations to China.

The newspaper argued, “If it is possible to label someone as a spy at will, it is not only the reputation of a specific company that will suffer, but also the most basic commercial trust between countries.”

Related controversies are also spreading online in China.

On Chinese social media Weibo, related search terms such as 'American media is accusing Jensen Huang's affair partner of being a Chinese spy', 'Jensen Huang's beloved wife of 41 years' image collapse', and 'Impact of Jensen Huang's affair on NVIDIA' rose to popularity rankings one after another.

Some netizens criticized the American media for showing bias by linking Chinese businessmen to spies.

In addition, given that the two appeared to be intimate in a public place, some responded questioning whether they would have acted that way if it were actually the activities of an intelligence agency.

Experts are paying attention to the possibility that this incident will lead to stronger U.S. regulations on semiconductors in China.

Lee Ming-jiang, an associate professor at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University's Rajaratnam School of International Affairs, told Yonhap News Agency that "this incident could provide an excuse for China hardliners in the United States to demand stronger export controls."

Earlier, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs refuted the allegations of Chinese espionage related to CEO Hwang at its regular briefing the day before, saying, "It is a groundless speculation and a slander and slander against China."