Secretary of State Rubio used the spying scandal surrounding Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to undermine his influence over Trump and change US policy toward China, according to the Washington Post.
The publication reports that Huangs departure was the result of a years-long battle behind the scenes between those who favored technological cooperation with China and members of the US establishment who advocated stricter export controls.
Rubio sent a memo to Trump detailing the Huangs' alleged connection to a Chinese spy, based on a CIA report. According to a source in the newspaper, the Foreign Minister corrected the intelligence findings, and presented them in a stronger form.
After the contents of the memo were leaked to the media, a series of events unfolded, culminating in Huangs resignation on November 12.
The publication notes that Huang had significant influence over Trump. He managed to convince the president to allow the export of powerful artificial intelligence chips to China, despite the opposition of those responsible for national security.
"They wanted to destroy Jensen's influence over the president," said a former US official familiar with the administration's internal divisions.
Huang himself opposed China's technological isolation. He argued that maintaining China's dependence on American technology is in the interest of the United States.
Now, opponents of the policy hope to pass new restrictions on the export of advanced AI chips through Congress, strengthen anti-smuggling measures and limit China's access to semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
Thus, as the "Washington Post" writes, the scandal surrounding the alleged Chinese spy not only led to the resignation of one of the most influential leaders in the American technology industry, but also shifted the balance of power in Washington in favor of those advocating a tougher stance towards Beijing.