> Whichever one the CCP representative on your board tells you to do. You don't get a choice on things like this.

Clearly untrue, because many companies are using the gimped H20s and the full H200s (both legally imported or smuggled) despite official government policy being silicon-self-sufficiency. It's a bit more complex than "CCP issues order and everyone immediately falls into line".

> There's no way having the option of buying chips from Nvidia would have hurt China.

I'm not saying it "hurt China", I'm saying there's a fine line to tread between supporting Chinese AI models now, at the expense of the Chinese silicon industry in 20 years' time. The US export ban forced the issue and took the alternative off the table.

"You can't bait them into acting against their own interests by giving them stuff"

Generally this does work. China is pretty resistant to it as countries go.

See how difficult it is for the US Chip market to get off the ground, because it is so easy to just buy from other countries. A government directive to "Build It", only goes so far. So the Chinese Gov directing its companies to build chips, would have headwinds if Nvidia chips were available.