China has rejected what it described as “groundless” reports that Chinese entities provided Iran with satellite images of a military base hosting US troops in Jordan before and after an Iranian strike that killed three American soldiers.
The reports, published by the Wall Street Journal over the weekend, concerned missile strikes launched by Iran on July 17 against the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.
The newspaper cited unnamed American officials but did not identify the Chinese entities allegedly involved, nor did the reports directly accuse the Chinese government of involvement.
“We firmly oppose groundless suspicion and accusations without evidence,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular news conference on Monday.
US President Donald Trump also sought to play down the reports, which could add to tensions ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s planned visit to the White House on September 24.
“You know, when they say that China spies on us, I say you’re right, and we spy on them too,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday.
“That’s what we do. They basically do what we do,” he said.
According to the Journal, US officials pressed Chinese authorities to provide evidence regarding the alleged transfer of satellite imagery. Chinese officials reportedly refused to acknowledge that Chinese companies had supplied Tehran with satellite images and asked the US side to provide proof of the alleged transfer.
Trump has previously warned Beijing against selling weapons to Iran. In May, Washington also imposed sanctions on three China-based satellite companies over allegations that they enabled Iranian military operations.
China remains one of Iran’s most important economic partners, purchasing a large share of the country’s oil production while also providing diplomatic support to Tehran.
Despite the latest dispute, Trump said on Sunday that Xi had been acting reasonably and suggested that relations between the two countries remained manageable.
“He’s behaved reasonably well, and we behave reasonably well,” Trump said.
When asked whether he would ever permit Chinese-made cars to be sold in the United States, Trump said the policy had already been restricted under his administration.
“I haven’t. I’m the one that kept them out. The tariffs kept them out,” he said.
Source: AFP
