Commerce Department Clears Nvidia H200 Exports to Ten Chinese Firms, Beijing Stalls Delivery

The U.S. Commerce Department has approved approximately 10 Chinese technology companies to purchase Nvidia’s H200 artificial intelligence chips under export licenses granted pursuant to the Export Administration Regulations, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. ^[1][2] Named buyers include Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance, and JD.com, with distributors Lenovo and Foxconn also authorized to channel H200 units to Chinese customers. ^[3][4] Lenovo publicly confirmed its approval status, stating it is “one of several companies approved to sell H200 in China as part of Nvidia’s export license.” ^[3] Despite the approvals, no deliveries have been completed. ^[1][2]

The H200 is Nvidia’s second-most advanced chip currently in production, ranking below the Blackwell-generation B200, which remains entirely restricted from export to China. ^[5][6] Each approved Chinese buyer may acquire up to 75,000 H200 units under the license terms, implying a theoretical maximum order volume of roughly 750,000 chips if all licenses are fully drawn. ^[6] The Commerce Department authorized the H200 for case-by-case review sales to China in December 2025, replacing a prior presumption-of-denial posture that had governed advanced chip exports under earlier administrations. ^[5] Before those export restrictions took effect, Nvidia held approximately 95% of China’s advanced chip market; China has since fallen to roughly 5% of the company’s total revenue. ^[6]

The diplomatic dimension of the stalled deliveries sharpened this week when Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang joined President Donald Trump’s state visit to Beijing as a late addition to the business delegation. Huang was not on the White House’s initial roster of 17 chief executives invited to travel with the president. ^[7][8] After media coverage of his absence circulated, Trump personally called Huang and asked him to join the delegation, and Huang flew to Anchorage, Alaska, to board Air Force One as it refueled en route to Beijing. ^[9][10] Trump later posted on Truth Social that Huang was aboard and disputed reports that the CEO had not been invited. ^[10] Nvidia confirmed Huang’s attendance in a statement, saying he was present “at the invitation of President Trump to support America and the administration’s goals.” ^[9]

His last-minute inclusion carried political freight. Congressional Republicans with hawkish views on China had previously raised objections to the administration’s decision to permit H200 exports, and some within the White House had calculated that Huang’s presence on the trip could exacerbate intraparty friction. ^[11][8] A House committee recently advanced legislation that would grant Congress a 30-day window to review and block chip sales to countries including China. ^[11] Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told a Senate hearing last month that Beijing’s own directives were responsible for the delivery standstill, stating the Chinese central government “has not let them, as of yet, buy the chips, because they’re trying to keep their investment focused on their own domestic industry.” ^[3][12]

The supply-side blockage on China’s end reflects a parallel set of pressures. Multiple sources indicate that Chinese firms pulled back from executing approved orders after receiving guidance from Beijing earlier this year, with the State Council conducting a supply-chain security review aimed at reducing dependence on U.S.-origin chips. ^[4][6] A separate source told Reuters that Beijing is also weighing concerns about potential vulnerabilities embedded in chips that must transit U.S. territory under the license terms. ^[5] China has simultaneously pushed domestic technology firms to prioritize homegrown alternatives from companies including Huawei, as it seeks to build an indigenous semiconductor supply chain. ^[5]

The result is a regulatory standoff with financial consequences for both sides. Nvidia confirmed to investors in March that Chinese purchase orders for the H200 exist and that production had been restarted to fill them, but the company has not disclosed a timeline for delivery conversion. ^[6] Trump’s stated first request to President Xi Jinping during the Beijing summit was to “open up” China to American businesses, signaling that chip market access is likely to feature in bilateral negotiations alongside tariffs, rare earth exports, and technology restrictions more broadly. ^[10][13] Whether those discussions produce a concrete shift in Beijing’s posture on H200 deliveries remains to be seen.

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