China banned the import of some Nvidia chips, underscoring Beijing’s determination to produce its own advanced semiconductors in the AI race with the US.

The decision dealt a blow to the American tech firm, whose CEO was a last-minute addition to US President Donald Trump’s Beijing visit and who had long lobbied the White House to ease export restrictions on China-bound chips.

The US AI advantage is precarious, experts told Semafor: China retains some advantages, including abundant, cheap energy and outsized manufacturing capacity. “The Chinese model, maybe it’s only 90% as good, but it is 10% as expensive,” an expert told the BBC.