Puma Shen, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) candidate for Taipei mayor in the 2026 Taiwan local elections, said on November 9 that honey traps like the one alleged in reports of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's affair with Alice Huang are "a classic Chinese tactic," but that only investigations can show whether it did real damage.
Shen, a legislator challenging Kuomintang (KMT) incumbent Chiang Wan-an in the November 28 vote, made the remarks to reporters at the Legislative Yuan, Taiwan's parliament. He also backed legal action by a supporter whose campaign artwork had been spoofed and warned voters about fake photos and merchandise scams in the race's final weeks.
Shen Calls Honey Traps A Classic Chinese Tactic
Asked about foreign media reports that Huang, the Taiwan-born founder of the world's most valuable chipmaker, had an extramarital relationship with Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman whose Chinese name is Huang Le, Shen said the United States has its own rules for handling such cases. Honey traps like this one, he said, are indeed "a classic Chinese tactic."
He stopped short of drawing conclusions. Whether the relationship led to irreversible consequences or caused real harm to anyone's interests, Shen said, will have to wait for Nvidia's internal inquiry and judicial investigations.
Fan Yun, secretary-general of the DPP caucus in the legislature, drew a line between Huang's private life and the public stakes. A marriage is a private matter that deserves respect, she said, but the possible theft of critical technology intelligence and the national security questions it raises are serious public issues. She said she supports an investigation in accordance with the law to make sure Taiwan's key technologies are fully protected.
How The Jensen Huang And Alice Huang Affair Unfolded
In late October, The New York Times reported that US officials suspected Alice Huang, a Chinese national and former executive of Megaspeed, a Singapore-based data center company that buys Nvidia chips, of gathering information on Nvidia for Beijing, Taiwan News reported. US intelligence officials had reportedly told President Donald Trump about a year earlier that Huang had grown close to a woman working for China's Ministry of State Security.
Huang admitted the affair in a message to Nvidia employees on November 8, US time, two days after the Financial Times reported the relationship, according to Focus Taiwan. He did not name the woman. "I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children," he wrote. "There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry."
Nvidia's board opened an independent investigation overseen by a committee of independent directors with outside counsel, saying it had no reason to believe US national security or company secrets had been compromised. Beijing has rejected the espionage allegations. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the Times report was "based on groundless speculation" and an attempt to smear China.
The scandal has since deepened. The Wall Street Journal reported on November 11 that Nvidia's directors were preparing to oust Huang after The New York Times reported a second affair, with Kimberly Powell, an Nvidia vice president who reports to him, Yahoo News Singapore reported. The board had not announced a decision. The same day, Taiwan's Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang said Alice Huang's entry permit had been revoked and she would no longer be allowed into Taiwan, Taiwan News reported.
The affair has also reached the Taipei mayoral race. Chiang has made Nvidia's plan to build its Taiwan headquarters at the Beitou-Shilin Science Park in northern Taipei a centerpiece of his record, and he said on November 9 that the city had received no word of any change to the project.
Yang Wave Designer Vows To Sue Over Spoofed Artwork
Shen also took up a fight closer to home. Original artwork created by a supporter for the "Yang Wave," a grassroots movement backing Shen, had been altered into spoof versions, mass printed and posted in public places. The movement's Chinese name, which means "ocean current," plays on the last character of Shen's Chinese given name, Po-yang.
The movement's founder, who goes by Ken, wrote on Threads that the spoofs had crossed a line. He said he had hired a lawyer back in August, asked supporters to collect evidence and tear down the altered flyers, and planned to file both civil and criminal complaints.
"Copyright awareness is very important," Shen said. He called the spoofs a serious copyright violation against an original designer and said he fully supports the founder's decision to go to court.
Shen Warns Of AI Fakes And Merchandise Scams
Shen warned that disinformation and scams tied to campaign merchandise are spreading as the 2026 Taiwan local elections near. Some people, he said, have used AI to fake photos that smear candidates, while others sell campaign items under false names.
He urged voters to stop, look and listen before sharing anything, to judge claims on whether the content is true rather than on who is involved, and to get campaign items only through his campaign headquarters and city councilors' service offices.
A Hoarse Candidate After A Weekend Of Street Campaigning
Shen arrived at the legislature visibly hoarse and coughing, which worried supporters who call themselves "little water droplets." He said he felt fine and that the problem was an inflamed throat, not a cold.
He traced it to a busy weekend in Taipei's Neihu and Nangang districts, where he led a three-hour motorcade through the streets and held open-air policy talks. He said he is taking anti-inflammatory treatment and resting his voice as the campaign enters its final stretch before the November 28 vote.
Jensen Huang and the Alleged Chinese Spy: Full Timeline
From the first reports on Alice Huang's visits to Taipei to Jensen Huang's resignation as Nvidia's chief executive, Storm Media tracks every development in the case and updates the page regularly.
► See the full timeline and latest updates
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