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CNBC's The China Connection newsletter: China learns to build without Nvidia

Cnbc · 🇨🇳 public China · · 982 words · By Evelyn Cheng
US-China Trade Relations AI Infrastructure Technological Sovereignty
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What to know about US-China Trade Relations

Hi, this is Evelyn, writing to you from Beijing.

Claims checked 22
Techniques found 2
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center83%
Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Hi, this is Evelyn, writing to you from Beijing.

Why it matters

Welcome to the latest edition of The China Connection — a succinct snapshot of what I'm seeing and hearing from local businesses.

Common ground

China's tech self-sufficiency push is rapidly becoming a reality as companies focus on business questions that run deeper than geopolitics.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Oversimplification: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/01/china-learns-to-build-without-nvidia.html

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Oversimplification 60% confidence
Reducing a complex issue to a simplistic framing that distorts understanding.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing oversimplification helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 22 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 12
check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 3
help Insufficient Evidence 1
verified Verified By Reference 1
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Claim 1: “Huawei last week also revealed that it's been using a new scientific approach to developing its chips”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 2: “Alphabet-backed Waymo has just under 4,000 vehicles on the road”
SINGLE SOURCE
Only one web search result mentions Waymo having 'just under 4,000 vehicles'. Other Wikipedia and web results describe Waymo's operations and vehicles but do not provide a specific fleet count to corroborate or contradict this number.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A robotaxi, also known as robot taxi, robo-taxi, self-driving taxi or driverless taxi, is an autonomous car (SAE automation level 4 or 5) operated for a ridesharing company. Consultancy firms predict …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robotaxi
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Waymo LLC ( WAY-moh) is an American autonomous driving technology company headquartered in Mountain View, California. It is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company. As of June 2026, Way…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waymo
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Waymo Ojai is a battery electric robotaxi manufactured by Zeekr for Waymo since December 2024 and in passenger service since May 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waymo_Ojai
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 3: “BYD last week joined Nio and Xpeng in revealing their own semiconductors for driver-assist systems”
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm BYD launched its self-developed Xuanji A3 chip and mention Nio and Xpeng's focus on AI capability and proprietary tech.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 2, 2026 · Chinese EV makers have shifted their focus toward AI capability, according to Morgan Stanley. For instance, BYD has launched its self-developed ...
https://www.facebook.com/XinhuaNewsAgency/posts/chinese-ev-m…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 4, 2026 · It builds nearly 70–75% of its vehicle components in-house—from batteries to electronics—which reduces biaya and boosts margins. Such aggressive ...Chinese EVs like Nio, Xpeng, and Byd a…
https://www.facebook.com/groups/337555095148970/posts/131580…
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web search NEUTRAL — May 28, 2026 · The Xuanji A3 chip supports L3 and L4 autonomous driving, marking BYD's full-chain control over assisted driving.
https://cnevpost.com/2026/05/28/byd-unveils-4nm-smart-drivin…
schedule
Claim 4: “More European companies are maintaining or expanding their supply chains in mainland China... according to a survey released Wednesday by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 5: “China industrial profits jump 24.7% in April”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 6: “For the first four months of the year, industrial profits rose 18.2%”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 7: “China's defense minister Dong Jun skipped the conference [Shangri-La Dialogue] for a second straight year”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 8: “Huang also has an eye on talent as he's reportedly joined a Tsinghua University board”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 9: “Zelostech claims it already has more than 25,000 vehicles operating in over 20 countries”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results explicitly state that Zelostech operates more than 25,000 vehicles across over 20 countries.
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web search NEUTRAL — Zelostech already operates more than 25,000 vehicles across over 20 countries, far outpacing competitors like Alphabet-backed Waymo, which has just under ...
https://www.frontiernews.ai/news/article/why-china-is-buildi…
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web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago · The vehicle, a Zelostech Z5 with a payload over one ton built for all-weather running, is not in a trial. It holds both public-road ...
https://avmarketstrategist.substack.com/p/the-128b-race-to-r…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jan 23, 2026 · Vehicle Scale Expansion: Currently operating over 25,000 vehicles across more than 20 countries primarily for logistics, Zelostech aims for ...
https://intellectia.ai/news/stock/alibaba-considers-spinoff-…
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Claim 10: “the German automaker [Volkswagen] has partnered with China's Horizon Robotics to develop driver-assist systems in China — without Nvidia”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results and Wikipedia confirm Volkswagen's joint venture with Horizon Robotics (via Carizon) to develop driver-assist systems in China without Nvidia.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Horizon Robotics, Inc. (Chinese: 地平线; pinyin: Dìpíngxiàn) is a Chinese technology company headquartered in Beijing. The company develops artificial intelligence (AI) chips used in self-driving cars an…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizon_Robotics
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Momenta Global Limited (shortened to Momenta) is a developer of intelligent driving technologies, based in Beijing and Suzhou, China.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momenta
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Zhuoyu Technology (Chinese: 卓驭科技), formerly known as DJI Automotive, is a Chinese autonomous driving technology company specializing in advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and full-stack self-de…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuoyu_Technology
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 11: “the company [Nvidia] doubles down on Taiwan with plans to spend as much as $150 billion a year there”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 12: “DeepSeek V4 works with eight China-made chips, including those from Huawei and Alibaba's T-head chip unit”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 13: “Nio said it's planning a fivefold increase in spending on computing power”
SINGLE SOURCE
While evidence confirms Nio is an EV manufacturer, none of the provided search results mention a specific 'fivefold increase in spending on computing power'.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Nio Inc. (Chinese: 蔚来; pinyin: Wèilái; stylized as NIO) is a Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Shanghai. Founded in 2014, it adopted its current name in 2016.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nio_Inc.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — NIO is much more than a car company. NIO designs and develops smart, high-performance, electric vehicles with an aim to be the first “User Enterprise” in the world.
https://www.nio.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Nio is a leading electric vehicle maker, targeting the premium segment. Founded in November 2014, Nio designs, develops, jointly manufactures, and sells premium smart electric vehicles.
https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/NIO/?fr=sycsrp_catchall
schedule
Claim 14: “The latest MiniMax and Kimi models, along with DeepSeek's V4, are compatible with local Chinese semiconductors”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 15: “Nvidia's driver-assist chips are not subject to the same U.S. export restrictions that apply to the more advanced semiconductors used to train and run AI models”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the specific U.S. export restrictions for driver-assist chips versus AI training chips.
schedule
Claim 16: “Nvidia's revenue from mainland China and Hong Kong is shrinking”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 17: “The U.S. company is trying to keep its foot in China's world of 'physical AI' by collaborating with Chinese humanoid startup Unitree on a research robot sold globally”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 18: “Computing and electronics equipment manufacturing... saw earnings more than double from a year ago”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 19: “A vehicle Xpeng co-developed with Volkswagen is also using the Chinese company's 'Turing chip'”
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm Xpeng developed the 'Turing' chip and that Volkswagen will utilize Xpeng's autonomous driving solutions (XNGP) for China EVs starting in 2026.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — XPeng launched their first self-developed computer chip called Turing in the G7. It is aimed at powering high-end AI models for autonomous driving ADAS ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XPeng
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web search NEUTRAL — Oct 6, 2025 · Volkswagen will utilise Xpeng's autonomous driving solution, XNGP, for its China EVs starting in 2026. The first model featuring it will be ...
https://carnewschina.com/2025/10/06/exclusive-volkswagen-to-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Apr 23, 2026 · It supports 5C fast charging, and is equipped with three AI Turing in-house developed chips." XPeng Launches Hybrid Version of X9 MPV with 1, ...
https://www.facebook.com/themorning.lk.official/posts/chines…
info
Claim 20: “Waymo uses custom chips”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence describes Waymo's sensor arrays and neural networks, but does not explicitly confirm whether they use 'custom chips' (ASICs) versus off-the-shelf hardware.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Waymo—formerly the Google self-driving car project—makes it safe and easy for people & things to get around with autonomous vehicles. Take a ride now.
https://waymo.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Welcome to Waymo—the world’s first fully autonomous ride-hailing service. We’re now serving riders in Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Ride on Uber in Atlanta and Austin.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh5Yo6HN5b2Hco70HosIzZA
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Waymo utilizes a late-fusion approach where data from 29 cameras, 5 LiDARs, and 6 radars are processed through deep neural networks to maintain a consistent 360-degree environmental model even in adve…
https://sabalynx.com/waymo-self-driving-car-case-study/
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Claim 21: “Robovan startup Zelostech plans to use multiple chip suppliers from China and elsewhere, over the next year or two, instead of relying only on Nvidia for its self-driving systems”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm Zelostech's plan to diversify chip suppliers away from sole reliance on Nvidia to include China-made chips for cost advantages.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Chinese autonomous driving startup Zelostech plans to diversify its chip suppliers away from sole reliance on Nvidia, citing cost advantages of using China-made chips. The company currently uses two N…
https://feedbagel.com/post/cnbcs-the-china-connection-newsle…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — By mid-2023, Zelostech launched its first true mass-production vehicle, the Z5, achieving a milestone in low-speed urban freight on public roads. Meanwhile, policy also accelerated the sector, with Ch…
https://zelostech.ai/zelostech-commercializing-autonomous-dr…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Zelostech, an innovative Chinese autonomous driving startup, is turbo-charging its overseas push with homegrown advanced Level 4 self-driving technologies, said its top executive in an interview with …
https://govt.chinadaily.com.cn/s/202504/18/WS680217a8498eec7…
verified
Claim 22: “Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang joined U.S. President Donald Trump on his trip to Beijing in May”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia confirms Donald Trump made a state visit to China from May 13-15, 2026, but the provided evidence does not mention Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang accompanying him on that trip.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — From 13 to 15 May 2026, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, made a state visit to China. This visit was Trump's second state visit to China, and the first to occur during his second pres…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_state_visit_by_Donald_Tru…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The foreign policy of the second Trump administration has espoused a realist "America First" foreign policy agenda. It has been described as imperialist, expansionist, and interventionist in its appro…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_policy_of_the_second_T…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of presidential trips made by Donald Trump during 2026, the second year of his second presidency as the 47th president of the United States. This list excludes trips made within Washing…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidential_trips_mad…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.