Chinese President Gifts Unexpected Item to Koreans + Video
Rokna Political Desk: The President of China, during his meeting with his South Korean counterpart, presented two Xiaomi smartphones in a nation where Samsung is the global mobile-phone giant, thereby conveying a clever message of Beijing’s technological ambition and boldness.
In an official meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae‑myung, the Chinese President Xi Jinping gifted him two Xiaomi phones and in jest asked, “See for yourself whether there is a backdoor or not!”
According to Reuters, this meeting took place on the sidelines of the APEC Summit 2025 in Gyeongju, marking Xi’s first official visit to South Korea in 11 years. The choice of Chinese-made phones as a gift in a country where Samsung is the world’s mobile-phone behemoth served as a subtle reference to Beijing’s technological ambitions; ambitions that have been foregrounded in China’s latest five-year economic development plan.
The term “backdoor” in technology denotes a hidden pathway for bypassing security or authentication controls. Xi’s joke was in fact a wink to longstanding Western concerns about electronic espionage via Chinese-manufactured devices; concerns that have resurfaced amid U.S. restrictions on advanced chip exports to China.
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