FedEx held back Huawei shipments, Chinese authorities say

Chinese authorities accused FedEx of intentionally holding back Huawei shipments from entering the country, in addition to other legal violations, state news agency XinhuaNet reported today.  

The integrator accidentally diverted Huawei packages from the United Kingdom to the United States last month, leading FedEx to file a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Commerce for an undue burden to “police” shipments after the U.S. blacklisted Huawei Technologies. 

The mishandling raised concerns from the U.S. and prompted China to begin its current investigation of FedEx as an unreliable entity. 

“We have and will continue to fully cooperate with the Chinese authorities on the investigation, and we are committed to full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations,” FedEx said in a statement responding to the announcement from Chinese authorities. 

The company blamed the mishandled shipments on “unclear” instructions from the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). 

“FedEx values our business in China, and we are committed to improving our service to customers and providing the best workplace for our employees,” the company stated.