In a lighthearted moment amidst the strain of trade negotiations, Chinese President Xi Jinping was seen joking about security backdoors while giving two Xiaomi smartphones to his South Korean counterpart, President Lee Jae Myung.
Xi, who was in South Korea for a meeting with Trump during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, presented the phones to Lee. The exchange, captured on social media, shows Lee quipping, “Is the line secure?” To which Xi chuckled and responded through an interpreter, “You can check if there’s a backdoor,” leading to shared laughter between the leaders.
This exchange is particularly notable given the ongoing concerns over security and espionage, which cast a shadow on US-China relations. American lawmakers have accused companies like Huawei of embedding backdoors in their technology, allegations that those companies have consistently denied. In response, U.S. officials have proposed similar access methods in products, such as chips made by Nvidia, which has openly opposed these measures.
Interestingly, following Xi’s joke, Xiaomi’s stocks jumped by as much as 4.4% in Hong Kong, partly benefitting from positive EV sales news. It’s common for retail investors to flock to stocks of companies spotlighted by Xi or other high-ranking Chinese officials.
Not to forget, the Xiaomi phones included curved displays from a South Korean supplier, which highlights the cooperation between South Korean and Chinese tech industries. Xiaomi has long been a customer of Samsung Display Co. This playful banter also hints at a potential thawing in relations between the two nations.
