New York (CNN Business) A FedEx pilot was recently detained by Chinese authorities in Guangzhou, a city in southern mainland China. It's the latest in an escalating conflict between the shipping company and the Chinese government.

The Hong Kong-based pilot, Todd Hohn, was trying to board a commercial flight home after making a delivery to mainland China, when he was arrested after a luggage search, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing a family lawyer for Hohn.

FedEx FDX spokesperson Davina Cole on Thursday confirmed to CNN Business that a pilot was arrested.

Hohn was carrying "nonmetallic pellets used in low-power replica air guns," leading Chinese authorities to allege he was illegally carrying ammunition, the Journal said.

China's foreign ministry confirmed on Friday that a FedEx pilot was detained at Guangzhou airport on September 12 after 681 air-filled pellets were found in his luggage.