Taiwan Supporter Kanapathy Likely to be Team Trump's China Specialist

Ivan Kanapathy, a former national security official with deep expertise on Taiwan who believes that US should invest in stronger deterrence, is likely to be the top China hand in President Donald Trump's National Security Council, multiple people familiar with the development said.

- Prashant Jha

In Trump's first term, Kanapathy served as the director for China, Taiwan and Mongolia and the deputy senior director for Asian Affairs in the NSC. Between 2014 and 2017, he worked at the American Institute in Taiwan, advising Taipei on military and security affairs.

A naval flight officer deployed to the Western Pacific and West Asia, a Mandarin speaker, a graduate of East Asian security studies, and a former Marine Corps Fellow who helped develop the service's global security strategy, Kanapathy is well-respected in DC's strategic community.

He is currently a senior vice president with Beacon Global Strategies, a strategic advisory firm.

If confirmed, Kanapathy's appointment will make the core of Trump's NSC a hub of China skeptics who remain deeply concerned about its intentions, alarmed at its capabilities, conscious of what they see as its growing coercive behavior, and committed to a competitive approach. The team is broadly invested in the Indo-Pacific strategy - including deepening ties with allies and partners - that was adopted by Trump in his first term and sustained by Joe Biden.