Washington: The White House defended President Donald Trump’s decision to allow certain Nvidia AI chips to be shipped to China under controlled conditions, insisting the administration is maintaining a strict security perimeter around America’s most advanced technology.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Trump “put out his own statement on this” and that his public position reflects his private discussions. According to her, Trump told Chinese President Xi Jinping that “Nvidia will only be shipping H200 products to approved customers in China… under conditions that will allow for continued strong national security.”
At the same time, she stressed that “the administration continues to maintain a strict export control regime” and is ensuring that “the Blackwell chip and other advanced technologies stay right here in America.” She added that any Nvidia H100 chips sent to China “will only be sent… after undergoing a security inspection here in the United States.”
The remarks came amid growing questions from US lawmakers and industry analysts about whether the administration’s controlled release of older-generation AI chips could still help China accelerate its military-use AI development.
Responding to questions, the White House press secretary maintained that national security remains the overriding consideration.
Leavitt emphasised that President Trump’s approach combines engagement with firm boundaries. “What you see from the President on Truth Social is most of the time what you hear from the President behind closed doors,” she said, indicating alignment between his public messaging and internal policy directives.
She pointed to repeated assurances from the President that critical strategic technologies remain protected. The newest-generation Blackwell architecture will not be made available to China, she said.
The comments followed a broader briefing in which Leavitt portrayed Trump as intent on strengthening US leadership in advanced technologies, maintaining leverage over China, and ensuring American companies operate within tightly enforced export controls.
(IANS)
