FedEx pilot detained in China for item found in luggage

A FedEx Corp. pilot was temporarily detained in Southeastern China after authorities found an item in his luggage prior to boarding a commercial flight, marking the delivery firm’s latest setback in the country.

The pilot, who was held in the city of Guangzhou, was later released on bail and the company is working with relevant authorities to understand the facts better, Memphis-based FedEx said in an email. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs didn’t immediately reply to a faxed query.

While FedEx didn’t provide details, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier that the pilot was a former U.S. Air Force colonel who was detained a week ago after he was found carrying nonmetallic pellets used in low-power replica air guns. Chinese authorities are alleging the pilot was illegally carrying ammunition and have started a criminal probe, according to the Journal, which cited people familiar with the matter.

FedEx has been under particular scrutiny in recent months, after Huawei Technologies Co. said documents it asked to be shipped from Japan to China were diverted to the U.S. instead without authorization. In another incident, FedEx said it mistakenly rejected a package containing a Huawei phone being sent to the U.S. from the U.K., a claim China rebuffed.

Separately, police in China’s Fujian province started an investigation into a package containing a gun delivered by FedEx to a company in China, state media reported in August. Chinese authorities also began probing FedEx on suspicion of illegally handling a package sent to Hong Kong containing knives, Xinhua News Agency reported in early September.

The fracas over the Huawei packages has seen FedEx targeted in Chinese state media, with Beijing considering adding the company to a list of so-called unreliable entities it is drafting, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg in June.

China Mulls FedEx Blacklisting After Huawei Delivery Errors

After the U.S. slapped curbs on Huawei, China’s Commerce Ministry announced the creation of the list in late May to target firms that the government says damage the interests of domestic companies.