China accuses US of using spy claims to justify tech blockade

Beijing has accused the United States of fabricating "spy" narratives as a pretext to impose a technological blockade on China. According to Dawn and Free Malaysia Today, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning stated during a regular briefing that China's technological progress is driven by independent innovation and open cooperation. China has dismissed claims regarding spying on Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang as groundless speculation and an attempt to smear the country.

The accusations follow claims that Huang was the victim of a Chinese espionage plot involving an extramarital affair with Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed whom US officials believe worked for Chinese intelligence. Dawn reports that Huang has spent years lobbying against restrictions on advanced chip sales to China, noting that President Donald Trump cleared Nvidia's H200 chips for export to China last year despite objections from officials concerned about China's dominance in AI technology.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch, Punch Nigeria, Dawn, Free Malaysia Today — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.