On the eve of the 2024 Taipei Computer Show, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang hosted a banquet for many Taiwanese supply chain executives on Friday (30th). During the event, his speech sparked controversy in mainland China, with Chinese internet users urging a boycott of NVIDIA, while some netizens expressed helplessness.
Huang, a Taiwanese American entrepreneur, hosted the banquet at a well-known nostalgic Chinese restaurant in Taipei called “Nostalgic Flavor Restaurant”, setting up 7 tables to entertain his friends.
The invited partners included executives from companies such as ASUS, Compal, Foxconn, Wistron, Quanta, Inventec, Uni-President, Pegatron, Delta Electronics, Inventec, Unimicron, and Chunghwa Telecom, almost covering the entire Taiwanese server and PC manufacturing industry.
During the evening banquet, Jensen Huang, in an interview with the media, stated: “They are partners I have been working with for over thirty years. In my favorite restaurant, with my CEO friends in Taiwan, we are well-prepared to embrace this new era. The expansion of technology will benefit Taiwan greatly because Taiwan is at the center. So tonight, we will have a wonderful time and enjoy each other’s company.”
When asked if NVIDIA would continue to invest in Taiwan, Huang responded that Taiwan is one of the most important countries, where NVIDIA’s business started from building chips, systems, and many other business partnerships, hence NVIDIA will continue to invest in Taiwan and expand its AI infrastructure in Taiwan.
Huang’s remarks were reposted by netizens on Chinese social media platforms and stirred controversy.
A military blogger, known for pro-China and anti-American comments, “Military World”, posted on Friday (30) saying that Jensen Huang said in a Taipei night market, “Taiwan is one of the most important countries in the world. It is the center of the electronics industry.” He then said, “The computer industry was built because of Taiwan, so it is a very, very important country.” The blogger also claimed, “NVIDIA’s big boss wants trouble.”
In the comments section of the blog, netizen “FrankManni” urged: for the passionate young people below, quickly check your computer, if you find an N-card, it is recommended to swiftly remove and throw it in the trash; netizen “LittleFish144” said: countermeasure, we must countermeasure! NVIDIA is done for in China; while netizen “CaiHuaLe” expressed helplessness: “There is no alternative technology for now, so let’s not mention this matter, feel a bit more comfortable.”
Netizen “StillWayne” believed that Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, stated during a media interview in a Taiwanese night market: “Taiwan is one of the most important countries in the world.” This sentence, if expressed by any other company or individual, would surely not go unanswered and without a response. I wonder if Huang’s statement will lead to a wave of resistance against NVIDIA? For example, dismantling NVIDIA graphics cards, banning the import of NVIDIA graphics cards, and prohibiting Chinese companies from collaborating with NVIDIA.
Although the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has claimed that “China has always opposed politicizing economic and trade cooperation”, in recent years, the authorities have increasingly used Chinese internet influencers, such as the Fifty Cent Party and Little Pink, to coerce foreign companies, celebrities, and other prominent figures into taking a stance on the “One China” issue.
Prior to Huang’s visit to Taiwan, the Chinese military conducted “punitive” exercises in the surrounding sea and airspace of Taiwan from May 23 to 24, as a warning to Tsai Ing-wen’s inauguration as President of the Republic of China. Subsequently, some Taiwanese artists based in mainland China made statements in line with the Chinese official stance.
However, the Chinese authorities’ claimed comprehensive blockade of Taiwan with large-scale military exercises did not cause panic in Taiwan. On the contrary, the military exercises by the Chinese forces revealed vulnerabilities to the US military and Taiwan’s military demonstrated the capacity to shoot down advanced Chinese fighter jets at any time.
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