Politics1 min read

How Nvidia scandal, US midterm losses could affect Trump’s hand with Xi - and what it means for Beijing

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are scheduled to hold discussions on the sidelines of the APEC summit on November 18 and 19. The diplomatic encounter unfolds under intense domestic scrutiny after Republicans lost both chambers of Congress to Democrats in the midterms. Lawmakers are also pursuing inquiries into Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang over allegations involving a suspected Chinese spy, which Beijing has dismissed as groundless speculation. This corporate controversy threatens to draw congressional attention to an earlier arrangement permitting Nvidia to sell specific artificial intelligence chips to approved Chinese buyers.

Key points

  • The Democratic sweep of Congress has led some analysts to argue that Donald Trump will fa…: The Democratic sweep of Congress has led some analysts to argue that Donald Trump will face restricted independence and increased oversight in China policy.
  • A previous agreement allowing Nvidia to sell artificial intelligence chips to approved Ch…: A previous agreement allowing Nvidia to sell artificial intelligence chips to approved Chinese buyers for a revenue share faces renewed congressional scrutiny.
  • Other experts maintain Trump retains diplomatic leverage because past limits on his tarif…: Other experts maintain Trump retains diplomatic leverage because past limits on his tariff authorities have stemmed from the courts rather than legislative action.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

analysis East Asia

How Nvidia scandal, US midterm losses could affect Trump’s hand with Xi - and what it means for Beijing

US President Donald Trump is set to meet Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the APEC summit in Shenzhen, amid questions over his negotiating leverage.

SHANGHAI: A suspected Chinese spy, a technology titan embroiled in scandal and a bruising midterm election defeat.

United States President Donald Trump faces a complicated political backdrop as he prepares to meet Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping next week, in their third encounter this year.

Trump has said he expects to meet Xi on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen on Nov 18 and 19.

Much rides on the talks. A fragile trade truce between the world’s two largest economies runs only until Jan 10, while disputes over tariffs, agricultural purchases and technology remain unresolved.

But the political landscape in Washington has shifted since their last meeting in September.

Democrats have wrested control of both chambers of Congress. Meanwhile, allegations that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had an affair with a…

Politics