Trump downplays report China gave Iran intel before deadly strike on US base - EWN

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump on Sunday downplayed reports that Chinese entities supplied Tehran with satellite images of a military base in Jordan before and after an Iranian strike killed three US soldiers.

"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 a day after The Wall Street Journal reported Beijing's intelligence sharing.

"That's what we do. They basically do what we do," Trump said.

The incident could deepen tensions between Washington and Beijing ahead of a planned state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House on September 24.

On July 17, Iran launched missile strikes on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, which houses US forces. Three US Army soldiers were killed.

Unnamed American officials cited in the Journal's reporting did not name the Chinese entities involved, and did not suggest that Beijing was directly to blame.