Feb 12 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump plans to

nominate Landon Heid, who served on the staff of the House of

Representatives' Select Committee on China, for a key post in

the U.S.-China tech battle, according to people familiar with

the matter.

Heid, a China hawk who helped set technology policy for the

congressional committee, is being tapped to be assistant

secretary of Commerce for export administration, the people

said. As such, he would help design export controls to keep AI

chips, the equipment to make them and other technology from

China and other countries.

Heid was behind a drumbeat of actions by the committee to

combat what it sees as China's threat to U.S. national security.

Last month, the committee came out in support of a strong

global licensing regime to control the development of artificial

intelligence just before the Commerce Department published a

rule to tighten the U.S. grip on AI chip flows across the globe.

The rule, which is scheduled to take effect in May, could be

changed by the Trump administration.

Heid was behind a push last year to restrict business with

BGI, WuXi Apptec, WuXi Biologics ( WXIBF ) and other

Chinese biotech firms. Though proposed legislation gained

momentum in the last Congress, it did not pass.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for

comment. Nor did Heid.

If confirmed, Heid is expected to report to Jeffrey Kessler,

a Washington trade lawyer nominated as under secretary for the

Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS).

Reuters first reported that Kessler was under consideration.