Nvidia boss on surprise visit to China as US restrictions bite

 The head of US chipmaking giant Nvidia has travelled to Beijing amid the ongoing trade conflict between the United States and China, Chinese state media reported on Thursday.

The surprise visit by Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang highlighted the importance of China as a market for the California-based company, and indicated a willingness to continue to cooperate with Beijing, they said.

Huang's trip had not been announced in advance.

A photo showed him with Ren Hongbin, head of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

US restrictions on the sale of artificial intelligence (AI) chips by Nvidia to China could lead to charges of around $5.5 billion, the company estimates.

Former president Joe Biden imposed restrictions on the sale of the latest high-performance chips to China, allowing Nvidia to sell only a slower version called H20 to Chinese customers.

But these now also fall under new export restrictions imposed by President Donald Trump's administration, as Nvidia has reported.