An overhead view of the Port of Hong Kong in February 2020. A shipment of damaged F-35 parts was accidentally rerouted to Hong Kong to save time, and has disappeared; it is presumed to be in the hands of the Chinese government, though Beijing has denied this. (Shutterstock/Zotov Dmitrii)

We Now Know How China Got Sensitive F-35 Parts

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Existing US export controls forbid the delivery of sensitive military equipment to non-approved countries, but a UPS employee appears to have ignored an email containing this information.

The old proverb “For want of a nail, the war was lost”—an adage meaning that small mistakes can have far-reaching consequences—may need a 21st century update. Last month, it was revealed that China had likely obtained parts for the F-35 stealth fighter after a repair shipment from Australia to the United States was mistakenly redirected to Hong Kong. More recent reporting indicates that the mistake took place because a United Parcel Service (UPS) employee missed an email that warned against routing the shipment through the Chinese special administrative region.

The F-35 parts—including a cockpit canopy and weapons-bay........

© The National Interest