# Nvidia Affair Threatens Trump’s Asia Trip

> Trump’s Asia tour faces controversy over Nvidia chip leaks to China.
- Title: Nvidia Affair Threatens Trump’s Asia Trip · The Straits Times
- Summary: Trump’s Asia tour faces controversy over Nvidia chip leaks to China. Trump’s upcoming Asia trip is overshadowed by Nvidia’s AI chip leak to China via…
- Keywords: nvidia, trump, megaspeed, ai chips, china, us-china trade, ai technology, chips, trade deal, quad summit, xie jinping, The Straits Times
- Source: The Straits Times — https://straitstimes.com/world/united-states/nvidia-affair-will-hang-over-trumps-upcoming-trip-to-asia-pacific
- Author: Bhagyashree Garekar
- Published: 2026-11-14T05:50:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: nvidia, trump, megaspeed, ai chips, china, us-china trade, ai technology, chips, trade deal, quad summit, xie jinping, news
## Nvidia Affair Clouds Trump’s Asia Trip
Trump’s Asia trip is clouded by the Nvidia affair as US officials face questions over how restricted AI chips reached China through Megaspeed.
## US Officials Defend AI Chip Leaks
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent blamed the Department of Commerce for failing to add Megaspeed to the US export blacklist despite months of pressure.
## Megaspeed’s Role in Chip Leaks
Megaspeed, a Singapore-based cloud computing company, reportedly bought $4.8 billion worth of Nvidia chips and diverted some to China.
## Jensen Huang Resigns Amid Scandal
Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang resigned after admitting to an extramarital affair with Megaspeed’s former top executive, a Chinese businesswoman believed to be a spy.
## Trump’s Diplomatic Challenges
Trump faces questions over his defense of Huang as an 'honourable' man and his claim of not knowing about espionage concerns.
## Beijing Threatens Retaliation
Beijing has threatened retaliation if the US imposes fresh curbs on sales of cutting-edge chips central to China’s AI ambitions.
## ASEAN Summit Focus
The US aims to get ASEAN countries to pivot towards the US AI stack through development assistance and trade deals.
## Quad Summit Plans
The first Quad leader-level summit will focus on maritime surveillance and mapping semiconductor supply chain bottlenecks.
## Trump-Xi Meeting Risks Tensions
Trump’s meeting with Xi could be overshadowed by the Nov 19 summit with Putin, which may yield a new nuclear agreement.
## US-China Trade Truce
The US-China trade truce, set to expire on Jan 10, faces pressure to extend as Beijing delays rare earth shipments.
## Putin’s Strategic Position
Hosting the Trump-Xi-Putin summit, China could present itself as the place where the world’s most consequential disputes must be settled.
## Trump’s Diplomatic Legacy
Trump’s trip may expose the limits of presidential power despite his desire to make a mark in foreign policy.
## Nvidia Crisis Impacts AI Race
The Nvidia scandal could blow open the US-China AI race, with China leveraging its AI ambitions to counter US tech dominance.
## Conclusion: Diplomatic Tensions
Trump’s Asia trip faces diplomatic tensions over AI chip leaks, trade deals, and the potential for a historic Trump-Xi-Putin summit.
## Key takeaway

Trump’s upcoming Asia trip is overshadowed by Nvidia’s AI chip leak to China via Megaspeed, risking diplomatic tensions with Xi.