Has China received US F-35 parts by diverting an Australian shipment?

The United States is investigating reports that parts of its advanced F-35 stealth fighter jet programme were diverted to Hong Kong while being shipped from Australia to the US.The incident last week has prompted questions over whether China may have gained access to components of one of Washington’s most sophisticated weapons systems.Recommended Stories list of 2 itemslist 1 of 2US military says F-35B jet fighter crashes in California, pilot safelist 2 of 2Trump administration approves sale of F-35 jets to Saudi Arabiaend of listThere has been no suggestion so far from US or Australian authorities that Beijing deliberately diverted the shipment or accessed the technology.On Tuesday, Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles said the components involved were not “sensitive”. China’s Foreign Ministry says it was not aware of the incident.So, what happened and how serious was this incident?What do we know?On Saturday, US media outlet Politico reported that a consignment of F-35 components, including a cockpit canopy designed with radar-deflecting technology and a weapons-bay door, was unexpectedly rerouted to Hong Kong after leaving Australia.The Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Programme Off...