US President Donald Trump was reportedly briefed about intelligence suggesting that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had a connection with a woman suspected of being a Chinese spy months before the two appeared together during his China visit, according to a report by The New York Times.
The revelation has drawn fresh attention to the allegations surrounding Huang, particularly after Trump had earlier denied knowing about the matter before travelling to China.
Rubio reportedly briefed Trump aboard Air Force One
According to The New York Times report published on Tuesday, Trump was informed about the intelligence in May while travelling aboard Air Force One on his way to China. Secretary of State and national security adviser Marco Rubio reportedly conveyed the information shortly before Huang joined the presidential visit to Beijing at Trump's invitation.
US intelligence agencies had reportedly obtained sensitive information suggesting that Huang was involved in an affair with Alice Huang, a woman suspected of having links to Chinese intelligence.
This was reportedly at least the second time in seven months that Trump had received intelligence concerning the Nvidia chief's alleged relationship with the woman.
Trump says intelligence briefing made little impact
Trump has repeatedly played down the allegations. Asked whether he knew about the matter before his China visit, he said, “No, I didn’t hear about it then,”
When questioned about whether intelligence officials had briefed him last year, Trump said he would need to verify the information. “I’d certainly check with the intelligence people,” he said. “They could have been mentioned. Certainly, it didn’t make much of an impact on me," the President added.
Meanwhile, Beijing has rejected claims that Alice Huang was a Chinese spy, while Jensen Huang has acknowledged having an affair with her.
Alice Huang previously held an executive position at Megaspeed, a Singapore-based company that purchases advanced Nvidia chips.
Jensen Huang to skip Trump's next China visit
Trump is scheduled to travel to China again next week. Although he had initially indicated that Huang might accompany him, the president confirmed on Monday that the Nvidia CEO would not be part of the delegation.
Trump also said he had no plans to raise the allegations with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their meeting.