Pentagon seeks return of F-35 parts held by China after Hong Kong diversion
UPS shipped a cockpit canopy and weapons-bay door from an Australian F-35 toward the US in late May; Chinese authorities took the parts after a diversion to Hong Kong.
Published
UPS was shipping a cockpit canopy and a weapons-bay door from an Australian military F-35 to the United States in late May, for inspection and possible repair or disposal. The parts never arrived. The Chinese government took possession of them after the shipment was diverted to Hong Kong while in transit, according to people familiar with the situation.
The Pentagon is now seeking the return of the components.
The episode surfaces as China's leader is in the United States, ahead of a meeting with Trump in Washington on Thursday. Treasury Secretary Bessent met China's Vice Premier He Lifeng the day before, for talks covering trade, rare earths and artificial intelligence. The temporary US-China trade truce expires on November 10, and that deadline is expected to come up when Trump hosts Xi.
The incident points to a gap in US military supply chains at a time when relations between Washington and Beijing are nominally stabilizing around those trade talks. Sensitive F-35 hardware ending up in Chinese hands cuts against the idea that the current diplomatic track is enough to keep defense technology out of reach, adding to pressure on lawmakers already pushing to restrict China's access to advanced capabilities and to bring critical manufacturing back onshore.