Tel Aviv: The close defence relations between China and Saudi Arabia may block any further discussion about the sale of US-made F-35s to the kingdom. Israeli defence sources said that the concern is based on different intelligence reports. The Chinese are making a big data collection effort in the Gulf area and this is a reason for second thoughts, one Israeli source said.
According to the source, which quoted a US official, a Pentagon analysis from a few months ago mentioned that Saudi Arabia employs Chinese technology in its telecommunications infrastructure and brought up the subject of Chinese access to Saudi military locations. According to the New York Times, the brief has been shared with members of Congress and US President Donald Trump’s administration. A broader assessment was released in the fall of 2025.
Despite Riyadh’s overall security cooperation with Beijing, the more recent assessment, according to The Times, suggests that only US and Saudi officers and contractors should access locations containing F-35 material. According to the story, officials are particularly concerned about the jets, radar and surveillance technology.
Trump declared that the United States would sell Riyadh up to 48 of the fighter jets, valued at billions of dollars, as part of a larger package that also included the Gulf state being designated as a major non-NATO ally and signing a separate civil nuclear agreement with Washington, prior to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit last year.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
