Donald Trump is now deciding whether to let Nvidia ship its H200 chips to China, and that choice sits only with him, according to Bloomberg.
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the president is the one person who will approve or block the exports, and he said Trump is listening to “lots of different advisers” as he weighs the move.
Howard said Trump “understands Chinese President Xi Jinping the best,” and Bloomberg reported that early talks already started inside the government on whether the company can send the H200 into the Chinese market. Howard said, “That kind of decision sits right on the desk of Donald Trump. He will decide whether we go forward with that or not,” making it clear that nobody else is calling the shots.
Howard also said the argument inside Washington is simple. He said the question is whether the US keeps China tied to American technology by selling them chips or cuts them out by holding back the best processors.
He said, “Do you want to sell China some chips and keep them using our tech and tech stack, or do you say to them, ‘Look, we’re not going to sell you our best chips. We’re just going to hold off on that, and we’re going to compete in the AI race ourselves.’”
The discussion touches the controls first set in 2022 to stop China and its military from getting high-end US chips, and letting the H200 through would be a big change. National-security lawmakers already back bills to block any approval, and they want tighter limits, not softer ones.
Trump reviews Nvidia pressure
Jensen Huang, who leads Nvidia, talks to Trump often and built a close relationship with him. Jensen wants access to China because the company cannot sell AI chips there. Beijing told firms not to buy the weaker H20 chips that Trump cleared earlier this year, so the company is stuck outside the market.
Howard said Jensen has “good reasons” to want sales in China and said “an enormous number of other people” think the idea should be considered. He said Trump has “lots and lots of experts talking to him,” and that Trump will choose the direction.
The debate mixes business pressure with security fears, and both sides want Trump to hear them. Lawmakers who oppose the move argue that selling powerful chips to China helps its military.
People backing the sale say blocking a major economy from one of the best US chips hurts American companies and sends buyers elsewhere. Trump now sits in the middle of both sides, and the result of his choice will shape how far Washington wants to go in the AI fight with China.
Xi raises Taiwan with Trump
China’s Foreign Ministry said Xi Jinping used his call with Trump to push him on Taiwan, and Xi said bringing Taiwan under China is part of the post-World War II order. Xi told Trump to keep the positive tone from their meeting in South Korea last month and asked for broader cooperation.
The ministry said the two leaders also talked about Russia’s war in Ukraine, and Xi said he hopes both sides can help reach a binding peace deal.
A White House official allegedly confirmed the call but did not share details. The conversation came at a moment when Japan and China are fighting over Taiwan, adding stress to the Trump-Xi relationship.
The two countries reached a trade truce in October when Washington cut tariffs on Chinese goods and Beijing agreed to drop some limits on rare-earth exports.
Any new clash between the US and China could shake global markets and bring more uncertainty for business leaders watching the relationship.
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