Jensen Huang is going! On the eve of the Xi–Biden meeting, “Old Huang” confirms his boarding—will chip export issues become the focus of discussion?

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang accepts an invitation from Trump, confirms attendance at the China-U.S. summit. The outside world is focused on whether this trip will touch on easing export controls on Chinese chips. As a communication bridge between China and the U.S., Huang’s participation is seen as a positive development amid the tech rivalry.

On the eve of the China-U.S. summit, Huang confirms he will go

Multiple foreign media reports indicate that the “China-U.S. summit” between President Trump and Xi Jinping is expected to take place this week, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who was initially not expected to attend, has now confirmed he will go.

According to CNBC, the White House announced a list of 16 corporate CEOs yesterday (5/12), and Huang’s name was not on it. But sources familiar with the matter revealed that Trump personally called to invite him after seeing the report. Huang then flew to Alaska and boarded his plane while staying on Air Force One.

Nvidia spokesperson stated that Huang was invited to support U.S. government goals. Trump also posted on Truth Social confirming that Huang was on board, and earlier CNBC reports were incorrect. He emphasized that demanding China open up to U.S. companies is his top request to Xi Jinping.

Image source: Truth Social

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Will chip export controls become a key topic?

Huang’s last-minute inclusion has sparked speculation about whether the negotiations touched on chip export restrictions.

According to Politico, Huang has repeatedly lobbied the U.S. government to relax semiconductor export controls, successfully obtaining approval in December last year to sell H200 chips to China. This move was questioned by hawks from both parties, who worry that China gaining access to advanced chips could give it an advantage in AI competitions.

Over the past four years, Nvidia’s advanced chips sold to China have faced strict restrictions. Nvidia stated in February this year that chips approved by the U.S. have yet to be allowed into China. Meanwhile, China is building its own domestic chip industry, developing models like DeepSeek that do not rely on Nvidia. Chinese official journals admit that U.S. restrictions have forced local companies to slow their development.

The U.S.-China chip rivalry continues, with Huang acting as a communication bridge

The New York Times pointed out that Huang has a close relationship with Trump and plays a communication role between Washington and Beijing.

Selling chips to China remains highly controversial in the U.S. Last summer, Trump approved Nvidia to sell older generation chips to China and planned to take a cut of the proceeds, but the Chinese government did not approve the purchase. Some Republicans support restricting sales, and within the Trump administration last year, there were also security concerns that led to discouraging sales of more advanced chips.

Former U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez told CNBC that there is still a long way to go before an export control agreement is reached. He added that Huang’s participation as a delegation member is a positive development and holds significant meaning for both sides.

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