US intelligence analysts have warned that if Washington allows Saudi Arabia to purchase F-35 fighter jets, sensitive technology could wind up in Chinese hands, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.

A Pentagon report issued some months ago noted that Saudi Arabia uses Chinese technology in its telecommunications infrastructure and raised the issue of Chinese access to Saudi military bases, according to the article, which cited a US official.

The brief has circulated in Congress and among officials in US President Donald Trump’s administration, the newspaper said. It was preceded by a more general report in fall 2025.

According to The Times, the more recent report urges that any sites hosting F-35 technology should be accessed only by US and Saudi officers and contractors, despite Riyadh’s general security cooperation with Beijing. Officials are especially worried about the jets’ radar and surveillance technology, the article said.

The US State Department, the Pentagon, and the Saudi Embassy in the US declined to comment, while the White House and Chinese Embassy did not respond to The Times’ questions, the newspaper said.

Trump said last year, ahead of a visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, that the US would sell up to 48 of the fighter jets, worth billions of dollars, to Riyadh as part of a broader package that also saw the Gulf state designated a major........

© The Times of Israel