FedEx pilot detained in China for carrying suspicious objects amid firm's image crisis

By Chen Qingqing and Wang Cong Source:Global Times Published: 2019/9/20 2:11:24

 

A FedEx pilot was detained and later released in China on bail for carrying suspicious "items", further underscoring the US carrier's profound mismanagement and disregard for Chinese laws evidenced in a series of recent blunders in matters related to Huawei and Hong Kong that have drawn the ire of many in China, analysts said Friday. 

FedEx confirmed early Friday morning that Chinese authorities in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, detained and later released on bail one of its pilots after an "item" was found in his luggage prior to a commercial flight.

"We are working with the appropriate authorities to gain a better understanding of the facts," the company said in a statement sent to the Global Times.  

The statement was made after the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Chinese authorities have detained a FedEx pilot for allegedly carrying nonmetallic pellets used in low-power replica air guns in a checked bag. 

The report identified the pilot as Todd A. Hohn, a former US Air Force pilot.  

Hohn was detained a week ago while waiting for a commercial flight to his home in Hong Kong after flying deliveries throughout Asia from the Guangzhou airport, a FedEx regional hub, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.

China has strict control of guns and firearms as part of the country's public security management system. According to Chinese laws, those who illegally manufacture, trade, transport, mail or store any guns, ammunition or explosives shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of no less than three years, life imprisonment or death, in serious circumstances. 

The brief arrest of the pilot could further expose FedEx's serious management loopholes and hurt its reputation, if the pilot was found carrying ammunition illegally, Zhao Xiaomin, a Shanghai-based industry analyst, told the Global Times on Friday.

While the brief detention of the pilot appeared unrelated to FedEx's recent series of blunders in matters related to the US crackdown on Chinese telecom firm Huawei and Hong Kong riots, the company is facing criticism in China and has been the subject of a probe by Chinese authorities.

In late July, Chinese authorities concluded that FedEx had diverted Huawei packages intended for China to the US not by misrouting, suggesting it was an intentional move, and the US carrier had held more than 100 packages that belonged to Huawei, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The report said authorities also discovered other leads to violations of Chinese laws and regulations and will continue the investigation. 

Many in China have viewed that FedEx's actions were taken to help the US government in its politically motivated crackdown on Huawei. 

FedEx has also been criticized for handling packages containing illegal objects such as guns and knife tools to Hong Kong at a sensitive time when the city has been rattled by violence and chaos.

Earlier this month, authorities found some bundles of FedEx packages bound for Hong Kong contained illegal knife tools, Xinhua reported. The packages were temporarily confiscated and a probe was launched into the issue.

In Mid August, police in Fuzhou, East China's Fujian Province found that packages sent via FedEx from the US contained guns, according to media reports. The guns were also temporarily confiscated and a separate probe was launched by police in Fuzhou.

The company's actions have led to calls to put it on China's unreliable entity list, which is in the process of being rolled out. Under the mechanism, China can blacklist foreign companies on national security grounds.  

While China's entity list is in the making, some industry analysts believe that FedEx will be added first due to the company's multiple violations of China's laws and regulations.



Posted in: COMPANIES

blog comments powered by Disqus