Lawmakers Urge Trump to Confront Xi on China's Alleged Support for Iran

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has urged President Donald Trump to confront Chinese President Xi Jinping during their upcoming summit over allegations that Chinese companies have provided satellite imagery supporting Iran's war operations. The lawmakers cited a recent report indicating that U.S. intelligence found a Chinese company's imagery was used in an Iranian strike on a Jordanian airbase in July that killed three U.S. soldiers.

In a letter shared with ABC News, Democratic Representatives Pat Ryan, Seth Moulton, Ted Lieu, Chrissy Houlahan, Jason Crow, and eight others stated that "Our servicemembers are paying the price in blood for this administration's pathetic refusal to confront Beijing." They asserted that Trump "has an important opportunity to condemn China's role in arming and enabling Iran, and to demand an end to their support."

Republican Rep. John Moolenaar, chairman of the House Select Committee on China, echoed these concerns, describing the reported link between Chinese imagery and lethal Iranian attacks as "tantamount to an act of war against the United States" and "a dramatic unilateral escalation."

The State Department previously sanctioned four China-based entities in May for allegedly providing satellite imagery that enabled Iranian military strikes against U.S. forces in the Middle East, noting one company collected images of U.S. facilities at Iran's request. China has denied that its state-owned companies support Iran's war efforts.

When asked earlier this month about raising the issue with Xi, Trump suggested that China "basically do what we do," adding, "I think he’s behaved reasonably well." He also commented on intelligence sharing, stating, "When they say that China spies on us, I say, 'You’re right, and we spy on them too.'"

Rep. Ryan, a former Army intelligence officer, expressed frustration with the administration's response. "What's worse is that Trump knows, too, and hasn’t done a thing to stop it," Ryan said.

Analysts suggest that while the U.S. is likely to focus on the war's impact on the global energy market during the summit, Chinese cooperation on isolating Iran's economy may be limited. Evan Medeiros, a China analyst at The Asia Group, predicted that China would be reluctant to assist without concessions, stating, "I would not expect much to happen in the space." Moolenaar’s letter prioritized addressing the satellite image sharing, warning that "We should expect the [Chinese Communist Party] to continue this murderous treachery unless consequences are imposed."