Selling F-35s to Saudi Arabia: A Gift to China?
by Con Coughlin • September 29, 2026 at 5:00 am
The deal [to sell F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia] has already generated a great deal of controversy, not least because of warnings from American intelligence that it could result in Beijing using its ties with Riyadh to acquire the F-35's top-secret stealth technology.
[T]he deal "could put the crown jewels of American military technology within reach of the Chinese Communist Party." — US Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), member of the House Intelligence Committee.
A recent warning issued by US intelligence and cybersecurity agencies highlighted an aggressive campaign by Chinese AI developers to extract "proprietary functionalities and capabilities" from American frontier AI models to advance the development of their own models. "China-based AI companies are engaging in aggressive, malicious, and targeted distillation activities at an industrial scale," the report stated.
While China is indulging in these practices to win the AI race with the US, there is no doubt that it will attempt to obtain F-35 technology. The Trump administration therefore needs to proceed with the utmost caution before signing off on any deal that could enable highly sensitive technology, whether it relates to AI or stealth fighter jets, to fall into Chinese hands.
US President Donald Trump's decision to sell state-of-the-art F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia seriously risks undermining his efforts to secure America's technological advantage over China, both in national security and the battle for global AI supremacy.
Trump initially agreed to sell the Saudis 48 F-35s in a deal worth an estimated $24.3 billion when he hosted Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House in November 2025.
The administration has now approved the sale, giving the go-ahead for a deal that will provide Riyadh, which enjoys close diplomatic and trade ties with China, access to some of the American military's most advanced technology.
The deal has already generated a great deal of controversy, not least because of warnings from American intelligence that it could result in Beijing using its ties with Riyadh to acquire the F-35's top-secret stealth technology.
