US spy agencies obtained intelligence in 2022 that the UAE gave Huawei technology that they believe China used to extend the range of air-to-air missiles — the PL-15 and PL-17 variants, giving its fighter jets an advantage over US warplanes. The technology was allegedly transferred to Huawei by G42, the UAE’s flagship AI group.
While many US intelligence and security officials were concerned about the information about G42 and China, a few officials were more circumspect. There was also debate among officials about whether G42 knew that the technology would be used to help the PLA. The information reportedly came as US spy agencies were detecting broader evidence that the UAE, a critical American ally in the Middle East, appeared to be moving closer to China.
“Intel was flashing red. G42 and the UAE were drifting into China’s orbit.”
The intelligence prompted a fierce debate in the administration about US relations with the UAE and whether it should cooperate more with the Gulf state on AI on condition that it agreed to stop working with China.
The UAE, home to an American military base and a big investor in the US, has maintained close ties to Washington for decades. But relations grew strained during the Biden administration, with Abu Dhabi frustrated by the muted US response to attacks on the UAE’s capital by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
The exact nature of the technology G42 shared with China was unclear. G42 is chaired by UAE national security adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al-Nahyan and has expanded into geospatial, aeronautics and satellite technology. The technology reportedly involved software that would optimize the flight of the missiles.
There is no evidence that transferring the technology would have breached any laws.
American officials believed the technology shared with Huawei, which may have been dual use, would give Chinese fighter jets even more time to target American fighters in any war over Taiwan, increasing an advantage that the PLA had secured over the US military. It was another example of China starting to eclipse the US in certain weapons systems.
“China’s defence industry spent the 2010s building and delivering air-to-air missiles — including the PL-15 and PL-17 — that leapfrogged their US equivalents in range and in advanced seeker technologies.”
The White House in early 2023 weighed adding G42 to the entity list, which would have made it hard for American companies to sell it technology.
The US dispatched top officials to the UAE to tell Sheikh Tahnoon that his country must choose between the US and China for its AI industry.
One former official said then commerce secretary Gina Raimondo in effect told senior UAE officials that it was a case of “one strike and you’re out”.
Former US officials said Abu Dhabi ultimately addressed the concerns raised by the Biden administration, although some security hawks were not convinced that the UAE was being completely up front with Washington.
The UAE agreed to remove Huawei technology from its data centres. In late 2023, after months of tough conversations with US officials, G42 said it was severing ties with Chinese groups to enable it to focus on cooperating with the US in AI.
G42 said its dealings with Huawei ended in Oct 2023 and had been confined to a standard commercial supplier arrangement in which Huawei acted “solely as a vendor” for cloud infrastructure and related services used to build applications and solutions for its customers in the UAE and the region.
https://ft.com/content/a1882789-d283-4bf9-a3df-19b1b7ce9799…
US spy agencies obtained intelligence in 2022 that the UAE gave 
Huawei technology that they believe China used to extend the range of air-to-air missiles — the PL-15 and PL-17 variants, giving its fighter jets an advantage over US warplanes. The technology was allegedly transferred to Huawei by G42, the UAE’s flagship AI group.
While many US intelligence and security officials were concerned about the information about G42 and China, a few officials were more circumspect. There was also debate among officials about whether G42 knew that the technology would be used to help the PLA. The information reportedly came as US spy agencies were detecting broader evidence that the UAE, a critical American ally in the Middle East, appeared to be moving closer to China.
“Intel was flashing red. G42 and the UAE were drifting into China’s orbit.”
The intelligence prompted a fierce debate in the administration about US relations with the UAE and whether it should cooperate more with the Gulf state on AI on condition that it agreed to stop working with China.
The UAE, home to an American military base and a big investor in the US, has maintained close ties to Washington for decades. But relations grew strained during the Biden administration, with Abu Dhabi frustrated by the muted US response to attacks on the UAE’s capital by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
The exact nature of the technology G42 shared with China was unclear. G42 is chaired by UAE national security adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al-Nahyan and has expanded into geospatial, aeronautics and satellite technology. The technology reportedly involved software that would optimize the flight of the missiles.
There is no evidence that transferring the technology would have breached any laws.
American officials believed the technology shared with Huawei, which may have been dual use, would give Chinese fighter jets even more time to target American fighters in any war over Taiwan, increasing an advantage that the PLA had secured over the US military. It was another example of China starting to eclipse the US in certain weapons systems.
“China’s defence industry spent the 2010s building and delivering air-to-air missiles — including the PL-15 and PL-17 — that leapfrogged their US equivalents in range and in advanced seeker technologies.”
The White House in early 2023 weighed adding G42 to the entity list, which would have made it hard for American companies to sell it technology.
The US dispatched top officials to the UAE to tell Sheikh Tahnoon that his country must choose between the US and China for its AI industry.
One former official said then commerce secretary Gina Raimondo in effect told senior UAE officials that it was a case of “one strike and you’re out”.
Former US officials said Abu Dhabi ultimately addressed the concerns raised by the Biden administration, although some security hawks were not convinced that the UAE was being completely up front with Washington.
The UAE agreed to remove Huawei technology from its data centres. In late 2023, after months of tough conversations with US officials, G42 said it was severing ties with Chinese groups to enable it to focus on cooperating with the US in AI.
G42 said its dealings with Huawei ended in Oct 2023 and had been confined to a standard commercial supplier arrangement in which Huawei acted “solely as a vendor” for cloud infrastructure and related services used to build applications and solutions for its customers in the UAE and the region.
ft.com/content/a18827