Trump’s Taiwan retreat tests his chief China hawk’s influence
Ivan Kanapathy, a longtime China hawk, is a top Asia adviser at the National Security Council at a time when the Trump administration has been particularly conciliatory with Beijing.
In a challenging period for China hawks within the White House, Ivan Kanapathy, the senior director for Asia at the National Security Council, finds himself at the center of Trump's shifting stance on Taiwan. Kanapathy, who has long advocated for U.S. support of Taiwan, has expressed concern that Trump's policies are not in line with his own views.
The Trump administration has delayed $14 billion in arms sales to Taiwan and has questioned whether the U.S. would intervene if China were to invade the island. Sources close to Kanapathy suggest that despite his efforts, Trump remains resistant to his advice. The administration has maintained that Kanapathy is playing a crucial role in ensuring the interagency advances the foreign policy the president has been elected to implement, but critics argue that his influence is limited.
As Trump prepares to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the issue of Taiwan's sovereignty is expected to come up, and Trump's response could impact regional powers and their willingness to rely on the U.S. for defense.
Written by urgent.news from Politico EU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
