President Donald Trump said Sunday that China “spies on us” in much the same way the United States conducts intelligence operations against Beijing. His comments followed a report alleging that Chinese entities supplied Iran with satellite imagery before a missile strike that killed three US troops.
Trump was questioned aboard Air Force One about a Wall Street Journal report claiming that Chinese entities provided Iran with high-resolution satellite images of Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan ahead of Tehran’s July 17 missile attack.
“They basically do what we do,” Trump told reporters.
When asked whether he would discuss the reported intelligence support with Chinese President Xi Jinping during Xi’s upcoming US visit, Trump said the Chinese leader had “behaved reasonably well” and that “we behave reasonably well.”
“You know what they say? That China spies on us. I say you’re right, and we spy on them, too,” Trump said.
The Wall Street Journal reported that US officials connected the satellite imagery to Iran’s July 17 strike on the Jordanian base, an attack that left three US service members dead.
According to the outlet, officials characterized the material as the clearest evidence so far that assistance from Chinese entities to Iran during the war had deadly consequences for American forces.
The US officials did not name the Chinese entities involved and stopped short of accusing Beijing of directly participating in the attack.
Xi is expected to travel to Washington on Sept. 24 for a summit with Trump.
The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey contributed to this report.
