Boluwatife Olatunbosun
China Rejects Claims of Sharing Iran Satellite Images
China has rejected reports that Chinese entities provided Iran with satellite images of a military base in Jordan before and after an Iranian missile strike that killed three US soldiers.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun dismissed the reports as “groundless” at a press conference on Monday, saying Beijing opposed accusations made without evidence.
The Wall Street Journal had reported that unnamed US officials were investigating whether Chinese entities supplied Tehran with satellite imagery of the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, which was targeted by Iranian missiles on July 17.
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The officials cited in the report did not identify the Chinese entities allegedly involved and did not accuse the Chinese government of directly supplying the information.
According to the Journal, Chinese officials asked US officials to provide evidence of any transfer of satellite imagery but did not acknowledge that Chinese companies had supplied the images to Iran.
The report comes as tensions over China’s relationship with Iran continue to draw attention in Washington. US President Donald Trump has previously warned Beijing against selling weapons to Iran, while the US sanctioned three China-based satellite companies in May over their alleged role in supporting Iran’s military operations.
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Trump, however, played down the latest report on Sunday, saying China and the United States both engage in intelligence activities.
“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.
The issue comes ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s planned visit to the White House on September 24.
China remains a major economic partner of Iran, purchasing a large share of its oil exports and providing diplomatic support to Tehran.
Despite the latest dispute, Trump said Xi had “behaved reasonably well” and that the US and China were also behaving reasonably towards each other.
