Xi Jinping Jokes About “Backdoor” While Gifting Xiaomi Phones to South Korea’s Lee Jae-myung

Chinese President Xi Jinping presented South Korean President Lee Jae-myung with a pair of Xiaomi smartphones, jokingly telling him to “check if there’s a backdoor,” during a state visit following the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit on Saturday.

Lee hosted Xi for a state dinner and summit in the South Korean city of Gyeongju, marking Xi’s first visit to a U.S. ally in more than a decade.

The choice of gift — Xiaomi devices made in China, competing with South Korea’s own Samsung Electronics — underscored Beijing’s growing technological ambitions, which were recently reinforced in its new five-year economic development plan.

In return, Lee presented Xi with a high-quality wooden “Go” board, a traditional strategy game. The two leaders then approached the black boxes containing the smartphones, as an aide noted that the devices’ displays were manufactured in South Korea.

Examining one of the boxes, Lee asked with a smile, “How’s the communication security?” prompting laughter from Xi and the attending officials. Xi then pointed to the phone and replied, “You can check if there’s a backdoor.”

The term backdoor refers to a hidden method of bypassing normal authentication or security controls.

Both leaders shared a laugh, and Lee applauded as Xi also presented a traditional Korean mother-of-pearl inlay lacquer tray among his gifts.

Xi’s lighthearted remark alluded to China’s concerns over U.S. restrictions on advanced chip exports, which include chips with tracking and positioning capabilities. Earlier, Nvidia had denied that its chips contained any “backdoors.”

China’s Foreign Ministry and Xiaomi did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. Lee’s office said it had no additional remarks on Xi’s gifts.

During the summit, Lee sought Xi’s support in resuming talks with nuclear-armed North Korea, while Xi said China was ready to deepen cooperation and address common challenges together.

In another recent unscripted moment, a hot mic captured Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussing organ transplants and the possibility of humans living to 150 years during a military parade in Beijing in September.