Beijing and Washington keep exchanging accusations regarding IP theft, technology transfer, and export controls, which is disrupting global trade
Jensen Huang, the CEO of the American tech giant Nvidia, has stated that the idea of the US decoupling from China is flawed, emphasizing that the economic and technological connections between Beijing and Washington are far more profound than commonly recognized.
This comment comes as the world’s two largest economies are still engaged in a series of mutual accusations. Washington has repeatedly accused China of unfair practices like intellectual property theft and forced technology transfer, whereas Beijing criticizes US export controls as politicizing trade and warns that they disrupt global supply chains and harm all parties involved.
“I believe the idea of the US decoupling from China that has been circulating is flawed, and our interdependence is quite substantial and goes deeper than people realize,” Huang stated in a video interview with Time released earlier this week.
The executive also emphasized the global reliance of the artificial intelligence (AI) sector on “the outstanding students and scientists in China.” Huang further noted that 50% of the world’s AI researchers are from China or have Chinese ancestry.
In September, the US Department of Commerce placed 32 foreign entities, including 23 Chinese firms, on its trade blacklist. Among these were two companies accused of using US equipment to assist in manufacturing chips for SMIC, China’s leading chipmaker.
The blacklisted companies were accused by Washington of undermining fair trade practices and its national security interests. Beijing firmly opposed this action, describing the sanctions as an abuse of export controls, and shortly thereafter initiated anti-dumping and anti-discrimination investigations into US chip policies.
For years, US export controls on advanced AI chips, including Nvidia’s H200, a China-specific AI chip, had been implemented under national security regulations, effectively restricting shipments to China. In December 2025, US President Donald Trump reversed part of the previous ban and permitted exports of H200, a China-specific AI chip, to “approved” Chinese customers under a regulated licensing system with a 25% fee to the US government.
Despite US approval, Chinese regulators initially paused or limited orders, citing the need to understand rules and balance AI demand with support for domestic chip development. Earlier this month, media reports suggested that China is moving toward authorizing H200 imports, possibly with conditions restricting usage and domestic procurement.