Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin has written a letter to President Trump urging him to raise concerns about Chinese satellite companies supplying images used in an Iranian attack that killed three U.S. service members and injured four others at a base in Jordan in July. The senator is calling for this issue to be a key topic during Xi Jinping's upcoming visit to the White House next week, despite Trump’s characterization of China’s behavior as reasonable. Slotkin criticizes Trump for his lack of emphasis on Chinese assistance to Iran, which she says may have contributed directly to American casualties.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Before the Xi-Trump summit last week, analysts expected soybeans to be included in tariff-reduced arrangements between China and the U.S., but China excluded them from a tariff-reduction list released on September 28, 2026, despite cutting tariffs on other agricultural goods like corn, wheat, meat, and dairy. This decision disappointed American farmers, such as John Bartman, an Illinois-based soybean farmer who called it "a missed opportunity." U.S. soybeans still face an additional tariff of 10%, which traders say is too high for private crushers to absorb, even as Chinese state buyers have stepped up purchases. Despite this exclusion, both sides agreed to form a trade council to discuss reciprocal tariff cuts on $30 billion worth of products and stabilize economic ties.
Written for “US-China Tariff Cuts Deal” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 283 other(s) covering the same event.
Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin is urging President Trump to press Chinese President Xi Jinping on evidence that the Iranians used satellite images from Chinese entities to carry out the July attack on a military base in Jordan that killed three U.S. service members and wounded four others.
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that → urge → others
In a letter sent to the president Friday and obtained by CBS News, the Michigan senator urged the president to make that issue "a centerpiece of your talks with President Xi" during his White House visit next week.
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issue → send → visit
Mr. Trump has spoken deferentially of Xi during the war with Iran, in spite of questions that have arisen about possible Chinese assistance to Tehran.
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that → speak → Tehran
Last week, the Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, reported that Tehran had acquired images of the base from the Chinese.
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Tehran → cite → Chinese
"For months, we have known that Chinese companies are helping the Iranian military target and attempt to kill U.S. troops," Slotkin wrote.
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Slotkin → know → troops
Citing the Journal's report, she said, "But new reporting now shows that this support from China may have directly contributed to the deaths of American servicemembers.
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support → cite → servicemembers
In May, the Trump administration sanctioned three Chinese satellite companies for providing imagery that "enables Iran's military strikes against U.S. forces in the Middle East": Meentropy Technology, The Earth Eye and Chang Guang Satellite Technology.
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that → sanction → East
Slotkin noted that the report said that Iran had "acquired high-resolution satellite images of a U.S. base in Jordan from Chinese companies both before and after an Iranian attack in July that killed three American servicemembers and wounded four others."
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that → note → others
She continued, "But when you were asked this week whether you would raise this issue—three American servicemembers potentially killed as a result of Chinese companies supplying targeting information to Iran—with President Xi during his visit, you said, 'I think he's behaved reasonably well.'"
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he → continue → visit
In July, Iranian missiles and drones struck housing at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in northeast Jordan.
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missiles → strike → Jordan
19-year-old Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 25-year-old 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan and Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28.While speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One last Sunday, Mr. Trump said of Xi, "I think he's behaved reasonably well, and we behave reasonably well.
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we → speak → Xi
You know, when they say that China spies on us, I say 'you're right, and we spy on them too.'
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we → know → them
You know, we spy on them, too."
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we → know → them
He said, "They basically do what we do."
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we → say → what
Mr. Trump will welcome Xi to the White House on Sept. 24 for a summit and lavish state dinner.
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Trump → welcome → summit
This will be the second time this year that the two leaders will meet face to face after their meeting in Beijing in May.
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leaders → meet → May
Xi last visited the White House in 2015.
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Xi → visit → 2015
Slotkin criticized Mr. Trump, saying that his "insistence on rolling out the red carpet for our adversaries and kicking our allies in the teeth is beyond me."
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insistence → criticize → me
"But I would hope, as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, the provision of targeting information by China to help Iran kill American servicemembers would be something even you can't tolerate," she wrote.
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she → hope → servicemembers
Slotkin, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, urged the president to make it clear to Xi that "this support must stop immediately — and that there will be consequences China will face if it fails to act."
CBS News has reached out to the White House for comment.
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News → urge → comment
The Aporia
