Nvidia and CEO Jensen Huang face backlash in mainland China following Huang's recent reference to Taiwan as a "country" and the most important part of the electronics industry. According to Channel News Asia, this comment has ignited a wave of anger among Chinese citizens and a mainland media outlet, accusing him of getting "too carried away" and asserting that no mainland companies would work with enterprises supporting "Taiwan independence."
The controversy has swiftly become a hot topic on the microblogging site Weibo, with a significant number of users expressing their support for a boycott. The public outcry has escalated to the point where users are now advocating for a complete ban on all Nvidia products and any other form of association with the company.
Jensen Huang and Taiwan
It's worth noting that Jensen Huang was born in Taiwan and moved to the United States at age nine. As the founder of the most valuable chipmaker company in the world, Huang has been treated like a pop star in Taiwan, often signing autographs and taking selfies.
This stands in stark contrast to his current reception in mainland China.
Unfortunately for Huang, mainland China remains a crucial market for Nvidia, contributing more than 20 percent of the company's global revenue in recent years. This is despite the company getting caught in the crossfire of Sino-US geopolitical tensions, particularly after the US government tightened chip export restrictions to China last October.
In January, Huang visited mainland China for the first time in four years in what was seen as a goodwill gesture towards Nvidia's staff and clients. State broadcaster CCTV commented that the visit reflected Huang's concern about the possibility of losing the Chinese market.
Experts believe Huang needs time to carefully navigate Nvidia's relationship with China to maintain its business interests in the region.
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