The Wall Street Journal quoted US officials as saying that Washington has detected two Chinese military aircraft emptying military equipment in the UAE, which threatens the future of the US F-53 aircraft deal for the Emirates.
The newspaper quoted US officials as saying that Washington had made it clear to the UAE that the establishment of a Chinese military base on its territory would end the aircraft deal.
And the administration of President Joe Biden confirmed last April that it would go ahead with selling up to 50 F-35 fighter jets, 18 unmanned aerial vehicles and advanced ammunition worth $ 23 billion, all of which were approved in the last hours of the state. Former President Donald Trump.
But US officials said that signs of expanding relations between Beijing and Abu Dhabi have cast a shadow over the future of the sale, as they seek to obtain guarantees on weapons, including that the UAE will not allow the Chinese or others to access the latest US war technology.
According to the Pentagon's 2020 report on Chinese military ambitions, the United Arab Emirates was among the countries that China "was most likely already considering and planning to establish additional military logistics facilities abroad."
Some Pentagon officials say they believe that China hopes to build a naval base in the UAE, and intelligence reports indicate that Beijing has discussed sending several hundreds of military personnel to the United Arab Emirates.
Despite their decision to go ahead with the sale of F-35s and drones, Biden administration officials say they are still seeking to negotiate the terms of the deal with the UAE government, which officials in the new US administration believe were the deal reached during the Trump era. Lacks it.
"The general view of the UAE is that if they buy military equipment from another government, it is up to them to decide how and when to use it," the newspaper quoted a US official who closely follows the issue.
Another official said that the United States had made clear to the UAE that allowing China to establish a military base in the UAE would cancel the sale of weapons.
US officials emphasized that concerns about military cooperation between the UAE and China were high on the agenda of a delegation of senior White House, defense and State Department officials who visited the UAE and other countries in the region earlier this month.
The Wall Street Journal says that US officials consider the UAE an important security partner, as they confirm that the UAE has worked with Washington and its partners in the war against al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, and has deployed forces in Afghanistan.