Trump Unlikely to Discuss Alice Huang Case with Chinese President Xi at APEC Summit

US President Donald Trump is unlikely to raise the case involving businesswoman Alice Huang with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their upcoming meeting, US administration officials said on Friday. The case has drawn attention over Huang's reported connections with former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and allegations of possible national security concerns.

Trump is scheduled to meet Xi next week on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China, during a four-day visit to Asia. The meeting comes shortly after Jensen Huang stepped down as Nvidia's chief executive on Thursday, following a dramatic turn of events involving the chip industry leader. Although semiconductor technology remains a major point of disagreement between Washington and Beijing, US officials indicated that the Alice Huang investigation is unlikely to feature in the discussions between the two leaders.

"Some of these national security matters, examinations and investigations currently underway in the United States are probably not issues we would discuss with the Chinese side at this stage," a senior US administration official told reporters. Another official was more direct, saying Trump was not expected to bring up the Alice Huang matter during his conversation with Xi. The officials made the remarks after being asked whether the US president would discuss allegations surrounding Alice Huang with his Chinese counterpart.

Independent members of Nvidia's board announced that they had appointed Wall Street law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to conduct an independent investigation. The decision followed reports by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal concerning Jensen Huang's alleged relationship with Alice Huang and suspicions among US authorities that she may have been involved in espionage activities on behalf of China. Beijing has rejected allegations that Alice Huang is a spy. She could not be reached for comment, while Reuters said it had not independently established whether she was acting on behalf of the Chinese government.

The US Justice Department has also clarified that it has not reached any conclusion regarding her alleged links to the Chinese government. Jensen Huang issued an apology on Sunday, acknowledging that he had been unfaithful to his wife and expressing regret over the disappointment caused to Nvidia. His statement did not specifically identify Alice Huang. Alice Huang, a former senior executive at Megaspeed International, a company that was an Nvidia customer, is not related to Jensen Huang.

The developments come amid continuing US-China tensions over advanced semiconductor technology, trade restrictions and national security. The upcoming Trump-Xi meeting is expected to draw attention as both governments seek to manage disagreements over strategically important technologies and broader economic relations.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Bloomberg.