TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Nvidia Corporation CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) defended describing Taiwan as a country Saturday (June 8) following criticism from media and netizens in China.

Huang, who was born in Taiwan, spent the past week visiting the annual Computex fair, but also enjoying a status as an AI technology superstar. Everywhere he went, from buying fruit at a night market to throwing the first pitch at a baseball game, he was mobbed by fans asking for his autograph, leading to being described as the Taylor Swift of tech.

However, his repeated comments on Taiwan’s importance in the AI era caused a backlash in China. During a walk at a night market, he told a reporter that “Taiwan is one of the most important countries in the world,” being at the center of the electronics industry. He emphasized that the computer industry was built because of Taiwan, “so it’s a very, very important country.”

State-controlled media and netizens objected to the use of the word “country,” saying Chinese companies would not do business with companies accepting Taiwan independence, the Liberty Times reported.

Asked about China’s when leaving his Taipei hotel for the airport Saturday morning, Huang said he had not been voicing an opinion on a geopolitical issue, but had just wanted to express gratitude to all the technology partners for their support and contributions to Nvidia over the years.