Photo Caption: Seoul, South Korea - January 12, 2017. The Samsung flag flies outside the company headquarters in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
[People News] Recently, Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping met with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. During their gift exchange, Xi presented Lee with two Xiaomi phones. When questioned about the security of communications on these phones, Xi remarked, "Let's see if there are any backdoors." Reports indicate that the Xiaomi model chosen by Xi features an LG panel, which suggests Beijing's underlying intentions and signals a desire to restore the previously amicable relations with South Korea.
On November 1, Xi Jinping and Lee Jae-myung held a side meeting during the informal leaders' summit at APEC, marking Xi's first visit to South Korea in 11 years. During this meeting, the two leaders exchanged gifts; Lee presented Xi with a cypress wood Go board and a mother-of-pearl inlaid lacquer plate, while Xi reciprocated with the Four Treasures of the Study, a West Lake tea set, and two Xiaomi phones.
One of the Xiaomi phones was given to Lee Jae-myung, and the other to his wife. According to Xi's interpreter, these phones were manufactured by the Chinese company Xiaomi and featured screens made in South Korea.
Lee Jae-myung picked up one of the phones, still in its box, and admired it briefly. He then humorously inquired, "How is the security performance?" This comment hinted at concerns regarding potential eavesdropping by Beijing.
Xi Jinping smiled slightly and awkwardly responded, 'You should check if there is a backdoor.' This comment clearly alluded to the ongoing allegations that Chinese technology products might contain mechanisms for secretly accessing stolen data, which prompted a hearty laugh from Lee Jae-myung.
According to South Korean media, the two Xiaomi 15 Ultra phones that Xi Jinping chose as gifts are older models released last year. He did not select products from Huawei, China's largest telecommunications and technology company. Analysts suggest that this choice is due to Huawei being a primary target of U.S. sanctions and having a poor reputation in South Korea, while Xiaomi is not under sanctions and is therefore more acceptable to the South Korean market.
Consequently, even by the standards of exchanging high-end gifts between heads of state, one would expect a more advanced Huawei phone to be chosen over Xiaomi. However, Xi Jinping intentionally avoided this option. Additionally, he did not choose to gift the latest model, the Xiaomi 17, but instead opted for the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, which features LG panels, adding a layer of deeper symbolism to the gift.
On April 12, 2023, Xi Jinping visited an LG display factory in Guangzhou. Such inspections of foreign enterprises by Xi Jinping are quite rare in China. At that time, China-South Korea relations were at a low ebb, and this visit was interpreted as a signal from China to strengthen economic cooperation with South Korea, garnering significant attention.
However, just a week later, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who was preparing for a visit to the U.S., declared that 'we will never allow the status quo in the Taiwan Strait to be changed by force,' resulting in a swift deterioration of relations between the two countries. As both sides took a hardline stance, Xi Jinping's visit to the LG display factory quickly faded from public discourse.
The World Daily reports that some observers believe Xi Jinping's gift of an old model smartphone featuring LG components is meant to evoke past memories and signal Beijing's willingness to rebuild relations with South Korea and enhance economic cooperation.
However, sources from LG and Samsung have revealed that the Xiaomi phone actually contains components from Samsung, which contradicts the explanation provided by the Chinese side.
In reality, Xi Jinping and Lee Jae-myung discussed the issue of 'spying.' For years, the United States and its allies have warned that Chinese technology could be utilised for espionage activities. The U.S., Australia, and the U.K. have all prohibited Chinese tech company Huawei from participating in the construction of their 5G mobile communication networks, as they believe the company is closely tied to the ruling Communist Party of China.
According to a report by Today News, governments typically only admit to conducting espionage activities against allies when compelled to do so. Patrick F. Walsh, a professor of intelligence and security studies at Charles Sturt University in Australia, noted that due to security concerns, smartphones are not common diplomatic gifts.
As for whether Lee Jae-myung will use these two Xiaomi phones, Walsh thinks it is unlikely, stating, 'I can't imagine he would say, 'We have this phone now, I want to use it to talk to the Prime Minister of Japan or Washington.' He added, 'He might give it to his granddaughter or something like that.'
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