Just as trade negotiations between Beijing and Washington began their second day, China announced Monday that an investigation had revealed that US chip maker Nvidia had violated the nation’s antitrust laws and promised another investigation.
Beijing, which declared the probe in December, is presently involved in a fierce struggle with the US for leadership in the vital semiconductor industry.
The State Administration for Market Regulation, Beijing’s leading market watchdog, claimed in a statement that NVIDIA Corporation had broken the Anti-Monopoly Law of the People’s Republic of China after a preliminary inquiry.
According to the law, the SAMR “has thus chosen to carry out an additional investigation into the matter,” it continued.
Additional information regarding Nvidia’s purported legal infractions and the ongoing investigation was not included in the announcement.
Last month, California-based artificial intelligence giant Nvidia released financial results that sparked worries about its operations in China, which Washington is increasingly watching as trade and geopolitical tensions rise.
Officials started a second straight day of bilateral trade discussions in Madrid about an hour before the SAMR statement, with the goal of reducing disagreements on a number of topics that have strained relations.
