China spies on us and we spy on them too: Trump

US President Donald Trump said he would discuss “almost everything” with Chinese President Xi Jinping during Xi’s expected September 24 visit to the United States, while playing down reports that Chinese entities supplied Iran with satellite imagery of a US military base in Jordan.

“China spies on us and we spy on them too,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he returned to the United States after a weekend trip to Ireland.

Trump was asked whether he would raise the issue with Xi during their expected meeting in the United States on September 24. He did not directly answer the question and instead compared Chinese surveillance activities with those carried out by Washington.

The reported satellite imagery involved the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, which houses US forces. Iran launched missile strikes on the base on July 17, killing three US Army soldiers.

The Wall Street Journal report cited unnamed US officials and said the Chinese entities that allegedly supplied the imagery to Iran had not been identified. The officials also did not allege that the Chinese government was directly involved in the transfer.

According to the report, Chinese officials asked the United States to provide evidence of the transfer when American officials raised the issue. Chinese officials also declined to acknowledge that Chinese companies had supplied satellite imagery to Tehran.

Trump’s comments come ahead of his expected meeting with Xi, as Washington and Beijing seek to manage a range of economic, trade and geopolitical tensions.

The meeting is expected to take place in the United States on September 24, although China has not officially confirmed the visit.

Trump has repeatedly said he has a good relationship with Xi. On Sunday, he again struck a conciliatory tone when asked about the Chinese president.

“I think he’s behaved reasonably well, and we behave reasonably well,” Trump said.

Trump has also previously warned Beijing against selling weapons to Iran. In May, Washington imposed sanctions on three China-based satellite companies, accusing them of enabling Iran’s military operations.

China is a major economic partner of Iran and buys a significant share of its oil exports, while also maintaining close diplomatic ties with Tehran.

Despite those tensions, Trump’s remarks on Sunday suggested he was seeking to keep the focus on the broader US-China relationship ahead of his meeting with Xi.

“We’ll discuss almost everything with Xi Jinping during his visit,” Trump said.