A FedEx pilot who was detained in southern China is under investigation on suspicion of "smuggling weapons and ammunition" after air gun pellets were found in his baggage, a foreign ministry spokesman said Friday. The pilot was detained Sept. 12 in Guangzhou while boarding a flight to Hong Kong, said the spokesman, Geng Shuang. He said customs inspectors found a box holding 681 air gun pellets in his bag. The pilot was questioned and released on bail on "suspicion of smuggling weapons and ammunition," Geng said at a regular news briefing. "The case is under investigation."

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'Working with appropriate authorities'

The Wall Street Journal identified the pilot as Todd A. Hohn. It said he was told he can't leave mainland China until the investigation is finished. "We are working with the appropriate authorities to gain a better understanding of the facts," a FedEx Corp. spokeswoman said in a statement sent to The Associated Press. FedEx, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, has been caught up in U.S.-Chinese trade tension.

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Huawei complained about deliveries of FedEx

This year, Chinese technology giant Huawei complained about deliveries that FedEx misrouted. In June, FedEx sued the Commerce Department to stop enforcement of export rules that restrict shipments to Huawei and other entities. Huawei is on a list of companies barred from receiving U.S. technology without a Commerce Department license. The lawsuit challenges changes to export rules designed to keep technology out of the hands of entities or people that the U.S. government considers potential risks to national security.

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People barred from receiving U.S. technology

In May, the U.S. government added Huawei to a list of entities and people barred from receiving U.S. technology without a special license from the Commerce Department. Shortly after that, Huawei complained about FedEx diverting several company shipments. FedEx apologized to Huawei for missed deliveries, which it said were accidental. However, China announced that it was investigating FedEx over the matter. The delivery company complains that the rules “essentially deputize FedEx to police the contents of the millions of packages it ships daily even though doing so is a virtually impossible task.”

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