Global Times Commentary: The U.S. "Allows" H200, Reflecting China's Technological Self-Reliance and Strength

In the current complex backdrop of intertwined global technological competition and cooperation, a piece of news from across the ocean carries significant implications. On January 13 local time, the U.S. government officially approved the conditional sale of NVIDIA's H200 artificial intelligence (AI) chips to China. Although strict limitations have been imposed regarding security reviews and sales volume, this is still seen as a subtle signal of interaction in the Sino-U.S. technology sector. Some analysts believe that Washington is seeking a strategic balance between "curbing China's AI capabilities" and "avoiding forcing a technological leap in China." This policy adjustment, made after weighing the pros and cons, vividly reflects the achievements of China's technological self-reliance and strength.

The "conditional release" of the NVIDIA H200 chip is by no means a sudden act of "goodwill" from the U.S. This decision has undergone meticulous calculations: allowing the H200 chips to be exported to China, while ensuring that their performance lags behind the most advanced Blackwell architecture products, aims to maintain at least a "generation" of technological gap. At the same time, the policy comes with complex third-party reviews and final use verifications. Washington's goals are clear: to gain commercial profits through sales to China, allowing U.S. companies to maintain market share in China; and to slow down China's progress in advanced process chips through the restrictive supply of "suboptimal" technology, thereby maintaining the long-term competitive advantage of the U.S. in related industries.

As of the time of this report's publication last night, China had not yet formally responded to this U.S. policy. It should be noted that the policy for exporting NVIDIA H200 chips to China remains discriminatory. The approval authority for H200 chip exports is entirely in the hands of the U.S., which imposes restrictions on both the quantity exported to China and the supply chain. The U.S. government is also prepared to charge a 25% fee on the sales revenue of this transaction, akin to "plucking the goose as it flies by." Most critically, this stringent export system is not applied to other U.S. trading partners but is specifically targeted at China. In other words, Washington's approach of "weaponizing" and "politicizing" its advantageous technology has not fundamentally changed.

At the same time, we also see that previously, lower-performance chips from the U.S. were banned from being exported to China, and this conditional lifting of the ban on the H200 indeed represents a significant adjustment. This reflects the reality of both sides striving to manage differences and maintain economic and trade ties amid fierce competitive games. It also indicates that even in the computing and AI fields, which Washington views as "strategic high ground" or even "must-win territory," a complete "decoupling" that defies economic laws is destined to fail. The deep interconnection of industrial and supply chains serves as a vivid testament to the idea that "cooperation is the greatest security."

History has repeatedly proven that artificially constructing technological barriers ultimately backfires on one's own innovation ecosystem, causing domestic companies to lose vitality in isolation. The U.S.'s past actions of "cutting off supplies" of chips to China have not stifled China's high-tech development but have instead stimulated strong breakthroughs under a new national system advantage. From the iteration of Huawei's Ascend chips to breakthroughs in the application of domestic GPUs in specific scenarios, and to the strengthening of the entire industrial chain, China has demonstrated strong R&D potential and a clear path for technological iteration. The relaxation of the H200 export policy is a recognition from the U.S. that relying on "blockades" and "seals" is no longer sufficient to hinder China's technological rise **

The game surrounding the H200 chip has validated that independent innovation is the only correct solution to break the blockade and win strategic initiative. Recently, DeepSeek and a team from Chinese universities published a technical paper, "proposing a new model training method that bypasses GPU memory limitations," which may open up a more autonomous and sustainable new path for AI development. To date, with the accumulation of technology, China is no longer content to follow others on their tracks but is committed to pioneering new technological routes and industrial ecosystems. The rise of Chinese technology is not only for its own breakthrough but also to break monopolies, provide differentiated development paths for the world, and help more countries in the Global South bridge the digital divide and share the fruits of technological civilization.

The giant wheel of China's technological development is heading towards deep blue independent innovation. We need not pay attention to the noise and speculation from Washington hawks obstructing chip exports to China. In the dialectic of "cooperation" and "self-reliance," China has already found a clear path to the future. Whether the outside world "sets limits" or "releases," it cannot change the historical process of China's technological self-reliance and contribution to the world. This is also the demeanor and pattern that a great power's technology should possess.

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