On the eve of a high - ranking United Arab Emirates military delegation's visit to the Pentagon for two days of talks, The Wall Street Journal reported today that the United States had threatened to pull out of the $23 billion F-35 and marching aircraft deal.

The newspaper reported to officials in Washington that the UAE government had informed U.S. officials that it planned to close the deal because Abu Dhabi believed that the United States security requirements to protect high-tech weapons from Chinese espionage were "too cumbersome."

The paper added that it was not yet clear whether the arms deal, signed in the last days of the Trump administration, had actually been cancelled, or whether the UAE threat was merely a negotiating step.

According to the newspaper, American officials are "increasingly concerned about China's influence within the United Arab Emirates," prompting them to "define conditions that will ensure that the fifth generation of advanced jet fighters and drones will not be vulnerable to Chinese espionage."