China says it is willing to maintain dialogue in response to report of Nvidia AI chip ban

BEIJING: China is willing to maintain dialogue with all parties involved to keep global industrial and supply chains stable, its foreign ministry said on Thursday (September 18) in response to reports of the Chinese regulator ordering firms to halt purchases of Nvidia AI chips.

AI Brief

China expresses willingness to maintain dialogue with all parties to stabilise global supply chains.
The statement follows reports of Chinese regulators halting purchases of Nvidia AI chips.
China opposes discriminatory trade practices targeting specific countries in tech and economics.

"We have always opposed discriminatory practices against specific countries on economic, trade, scientific and technological issues," ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a regular press conference without elaborating.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said on Wednesday (September 17) that Washington and Beijing "have larger agendas to work out" as the tech giant navigates the tricky politics of the U.S.-China trade war and tries to satisfy demand from companies worldwide hungry for the company's crucial AI chips.

China's reported move comes after a Reuters report earlier in September that said major Chinese tech firms want more of Nvidia's crucial artificial intelligence chips despite being discouraged from purchasing them by Beijing's regulators.

While many companies have been caught in the middle of the U.S.-China trade war, Nvidia is unique. It dominates the AI chip space and receives notable attention from both the White House and the administration of Chinese President Xi Jinping, even as the world's two largest economies have been at loggerheads over trade for most of this year.