By Amara Osei

Donald Trump will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping twice in Shenzhen next week, with implementation of a U.S.-China trade agreement—not the alleged Chinese-intelligence case involving Jensen Huang—set to command the talks. A senior administration official told reporters on Friday that the Nvidia situation “should not really have any bearing on the trip.”

The underlying reporting described the episode as precipitating the downfall of Huang, whom it identified as the former Nvidia chief executive. It said Alice Huang, a former Megaspeed International executive, had an extramarital affair with Jensen Huang.

The same report alleged that Alice Huang served as a Chinese intelligence asset, described as a purported Chinese state-intelligence operative. It also said she used her Singapore-based cloud-computing company to avoid U.S. export controls, or restrictions, on Nvidia’s advanced-chip sales to China.

What will Trump and Xi discuss?

The official drew a firm boundary around technology policy: “In all of our discussions and negotiations with the Chinese, we do not negotiate American export controls.” The administration develops those national-security controls through an interagency process, meaning coordination among federal agencies.

That statement keeps chip restrictions outside the commercial trade track. It preserves government control of advanced semiconductor sales even while officials discuss implementation of the broader agreement.

Asked whether Trump would raise the case, the official said implementation of the trade agreement would be the focus. Officials were unlikely to disclose U.S. national-security examinations and investigations to China at that point. The official also did not expect Trump to raise the Alice Huang issue.

This approach separates commercial implementation from an unresolved intelligence inquiry. It allows the trade agreement to proceed without requiring disclosure of the case to Chinese counterparts.

What does the four-day itinerary include?

Trump is scheduled to travel to Manila on Monday for a four-day Asia trip that includes the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit. His Tuesday itinerary includes a sit-down with the Quad alliance, signing a trade deal with Thailand, an ASEAN leaders’ meeting and dinner.

On Wednesday, Trump is due to attend a welcome ceremony, a bilateral meeting (a two-country meeting) and lunch with the Filipino president. Later that day, he is expected to travel to Shenzhen for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ dinner.

Thursday will include his meeting with Xi, a separate sit-down and lunch with the Chinese president, and the historic three-country meeting with Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The trilateral session therefore follows two bilateral encounters with Xi on Thursday.

What are the limits of the trilateral agenda?

Trump has repeatedly sought a nuclear proliferation agreement among the three countries, but senior officials do not expect an agreement next week. They described the trilateral session as the entry point and first leader-level conversation. Officials expect the meeting to open talks without producing an announced accord.

The official said Trump intends to raise Iran at the trilateral meeting and does not intend to discuss Ukraine. Officials said the Russia talks already run on a separate track. That track has featured many recent meetings, while China does not participate in it.

That structure makes a Ukraine discussion unsuitable for the three-way session, the officials said. The existing Russia process therefore remains the forum for Ukraine discussions.

Who will travel with Trump?

Senior officials confirmed that Tesla and SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk will accompany Trump to Shenzhen. The announcement came despite the continuing controversy surrounding Jensen Huang and Huang’s China trip with Trump. They cited Musk’s substantial business interests in the U.S.-China relationship and his importance to U.S. national security as reasons for his presence.

Officials also confirmed that Trump will not meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during the trip. The announced itinerary instead centers on ASEAN and APEC, the Quad, two Trump-Xi encounters and the Trump-Xi-Putin meeting.