David Feith is a former senior Asia policy official in the Trump administration and a commentator on US-China technology competition. He is a son of former Under Secretary of Defense Douglas Feith, who is known for his role in Iraq War planning.
Background
Feith served as NSC Director for Asia during the first Trump administration, working in the National Security Council's Asia directorate under Matt Pottinger, the NSC Asia Coordinator. From 2020 to 2021 he held the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, one of the State Department's senior career positions on Asia, covering US-China relations, Indo-Pacific strategy, and Southeast Asia.
After leaving government he turned to editorial and commentary work, particularly on US-China relations and technology competition, and has been cited in the national security press on Indo-Pacific strategy and semiconductor geopolitics.
Positions on AI export controls
Feith signed the July 2025 letter to Commerce Secretary Lutnick (Letter to Sec. Lutnick on H20 Restrictions (2025-07-28)) opposing proposed export-control restrictions on Nvidia H20 chips. The letter, co-signed with Matt Pottinger and Stewart Baker, argued from a national security and competitiveness perspective that H20 restrictions were counterproductive. Feith had previously tracked US-China competition as an NSC official under Pottinger.
Relationships
- signed: Letter to Sec. Lutnick on H20 Restrictions (2025-07-28) — co-signatory opposing H20 chip export restrictions
- formerly-worked-with: Matt Pottinger — NSC colleagues; Pottinger was NSC Asia Coordinator during Feith's NSC tenure
- related: Stewart Baker — co-signatory on H20 letter
- related: Export Controls (AI) — H20 letter is a key document in US AI export control debate
- related: BIS Framework for AI Diffusion — Interim Final Rule (Jan 13, 2025) — regulatory context for H20 restrictions