Visit by Nvidia’s CEO Highlights Wet Market Context in China

Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, garnered considerable attention from Chinese state media after he visited a Shanghai wet market. This type of market has often been criticized in connection with the outbreak of the Wuhan coronavirus that had worldwide repercussions.

Experts in China suggest that Huang’s visit was likely a strategy to enhance a “pro-China” image and uplift local employee morale, as well as to engage with Chinese authorities and large customers for his company’s H200 chips.

Reports from state-owned media noted that Huang was seen at a local vegetable market in Shanghai’s Lujiazui district, where he sampled fruits and distributed New Year red envelopes to vendors. The upcoming Chinese New Year is set for February 27 of this year.

It’s said that he bought oranges at this market to share with employees during Nvidia’s annual meeting.

Multiple Chinese analysts pointed out that instead of making explicitly pro-China statements that could raise concerns among U.S. officials, Huang tends to visit frequently, donning “Chinese-style clothing” and exploring local markets.

In light of past discussions around wet markets, especially after the pandemic’s origin was linked to Wuhan’s market, the Chinese government has been careful about their portrayal. Wet markets are often characterized as open-air venues selling meat from dubious sources, sometimes involving rescued or exotic animals.

Such markets have gained notoriety not only for sanitary concerns but also for their practices of housing live animals in close quarters, which heightens the risk of zoonotic disease transmission.

Initially, the narrative surrounding the coronavirus suggested a natural zoonotic origin, perhaps from animals like pangolins, which are considered a delicacy in parts of China. The virus is believed to have been transmitted through consumption of infected animal products.

While China promoted this theory, there were reports of document destruction and record losses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which has since raised questions regarding a potential laboratory leak. U.S. intelligence agencies have suggested this theory is becoming more plausible, while some speculate that both the lab leak and natural transmission scenarios could hold truth.

Regardless of the Wuhan market’s role in the pandemic narrative, it has brought unwelcome scrutiny. Consequently, Chinese officials have engaged in discussions regarding potential regulation or closure of these markets to mitigate risks associated with contaminated or illegal products.

However, as the Chinese Communist Party shifted focus away from blaming wet markets for the pandemic, discussions of potential shutdowns waned. By April 2020, despite earlier tensions, the market had returned to business as usual, even earning approval from the World Health Organization. In images from Huang’s market visit, it was notable that none of the attendees wore masks.

There appears to be a consensus, perhaps reluctantly, among Chinese officials that wet markets are too integral to the country’s food distribution system to be eliminated or tightly regulated like conventional grocery stores.