Is Rubio the driving force behind Huang Renxun’s resignation? China Post: Huang angers China hawks

Founder of NvidiaJen-Hsun Huang The client admitted to having an extramarital affair with Huang Le, a senior executive of MegaSpeed, and apologized for it. American intelligence agents suspected that Huang Le was a Chinese spy. Huida’s board of directors subsequently launched an investigation, and Huang resigned after it was revealed in the media that he had defrauded another subordinate. The Washington Post reported on the 13th that the fall of Huang Jen-hsun may mark a major change in the power structure, and the key person contributing to this outcome is the Secretary of State, one of the most influential China hawks in Washington and who also serves as national security adviser.rubio .

Reports that Huang established a special relationship with US President Trump and obtained Trump’s consent to sell artificial intelligence (AI) chips to China triggered a backlash from Washington officials and national security supporters. These people want to stop Beijing from acquiring this powerful technology.

Two former administration officials revealed that some national security officials in the Trump administration are dissatisfied with Huang’s influence on the president. A person familiar with the matter said Rubio wrote his own memo based on the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) report, restating the CIA intelligence in stronger and more positive terms, and warning Trump about the relationship between Huang Renxun and Huang Le. After the contents of the memo were exposed by the media, it triggered a chain of events that ultimately led to Huang Renxun’s resignation.

For decades, Huida chips have been used primarily for image processing in video games and have not been a national security issue. But with the rise of AI craze, Washington has gradually changed its viewpoint. Biden administration officials believe the United States and China are launching a new competition that could reshape the military and economic power of both countries, and the Biden administration has subsequently tightened chip export controls. Huang Renxun takes a different view, arguing that chip makers should be able to continue selling products to China, which would make China dependent on the American system, which would ultimately benefit the United States.

The Trump administration instead approved the sale of one of Huida’s most powerful chips to China in 2025, on the condition that the U.S. government get a share of the sale revenue. Two former Commerce Department officials revealed that a Trump appointee to the Commerce Department unit responsible for issuing export licenses expedited the processing of Huida’s chip export application.

Huang’s “China hawk” opponents in Washington include cross-party government officials, members of Congress, and think tank analysts. He believes that Huida chips are an important asset in the competition between the United States and China and should be strictly controlled by the United States. Huang’s downfall is a major victory for those who have long sought to limit Trump’s influence over China policy, and a surprising turn in a years-long behind-the-scenes battle between Huida and those in Washington who view China as a military and technological threat.

Until recently, Huang seemed to have the upper hand because of his close ties to Trump. But with their fall, China’s hawks are ready to seize the opportunity and push for a tough China policy. A former administration official who was involved in chip policy and remains in touch with the industry said many members of Trump’s national security team disagree with the president’s views on chip exports. The official compared the relationship between Jen-hsun Huang and Trump to handing over a “nuclear bomb” to officials and described the internal conflict, saying: “They want to destroy Jen-hsun Huang’s influence on the president.” Huida, the White House and the Commerce Department did not respond to inquiries, and the CIA declined to comment.

The report also noted that Huang sometimes used sharp words to promote his position. In an interview with a podcast in September 2025, he said that the title “China Hawk” should be a sign of shame. “They think they’re doing the right thing for their country, but that’s not patriotism, not even in the slightest,” he said.

Washington think tank and Capitol Hill staffers then designed “Hawk on China” badges and spread them around. At the time, Eric Sayers, managing director of consulting firm Beacon Global Strategies, posted on social media that this group of people had “good memories.” As Jen-Hsun Huang’s scandal has intensified in recent days, he shared this post again.

Even before Huang resigned, opponents in Washington already expected his influence to be significantly diminished. Now that they have lost their original position, members of Congress who pushed for a bill to restrict the export of AI chips are confident that the bill can pass. “Before, we were waiting to see who HUDA would send to kill these bills,” said a Senate Democratic staffer. “Now that all these things have come to light, it puts them in a very difficult position.”