Trump's Candid Acknowledgment of Mutual Espionage
US President Donald Trump openly acknowledged that both the United States and China routinely engage in espionage against each other. His remarks came in response to a recent report suggesting that Chinese entities provided Iran with satellite imagery of a US military base in Jordan before a deadly missile strike.
Iran Strike and Chinese Satellite Imagery
The controversy stems from a Wall Street Journal report detailing how Iran allegedly obtained satellite images of the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan from unnamed Chinese entities. This intelligence reportedly preceded a July 17 missile attack on the base, which resulted in the deaths of three US Army soldiers.
When questioned by reporters aboard Air Force One about whether he would address this issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump avoided a direct answer. Instead, he drew a parallel between the surveillance activities of both nations. "They basically do what we do," Trump stated. "When they say China spies on us, I say you're right and we spy on them too."
Upcoming US-China Summit and Tensions
Trump's comments were made ahead of an anticipated meeting with President Xi Jinping, expected to take place in the US on September 24. While the Chinese government has yet to officially confirm Xi's visit, the summit is seen as an opportunity for Washington and Beijing to navigate ongoing economic, trade, and geopolitical tensions.
Chinese officials, when confronted with the allegations, have reportedly requested evidence of the satellite image transfer and denied that Chinese companies supplied such imagery to Tehran. The Wall Street Journal report itself did not allege direct involvement by the Chinese government.
Despite the current tensions, Trump expressed a "good relationship" with Xi, noting, "I think he's behaved reasonably well, and we behave reasonably well." This conciliatory tone comes after previous warnings from Trump to Beijing against selling weapons to Iran. In May, the US had imposed sanctions on three China-based satellite companies, accusing them of aiding Iran's military operations, underscoring the complex and often adversarial nature of US-China relations.