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The Xiaomi 15 Ultra. (courtesy of Xiaomi)

One of the memorable moments from Chinese President Xi Jinping’s meeting with South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung on Saturday was when the two leaders ribbed one another when Xi presented the Korean president with a Chinese smartphone. 

Inspecting the Xiaomi phone gifted to him by Xi, Lee asked if the phone’s “telecommunications security was solid” while laughing. Xi responded, “Check to see if there's a back door.”

One of the Chinese staffers accompanying Xi said, “It’s the latest Xiaomi smartphone, a model produced last year. The smartphone’s display is made by Korea’s LG.”

While this may appear as an ordinary exchange of jokes between heads of state, observers are saying that Xi’s choice of a Xiaomi smartphone that uses Korean components indicates certain intentions. 

Xi didn’t choose a phone from Huawei, China's largest telecommunications and technology firm; instead, he chose a smartphone from Xiaomi to give to Lee.   

The convention of offering the highest caliber of presents dictates that Xi should have offered a Huawei smartphone instead of a Xiaomi one. But Xi didn't follow convention. Huawei is under US sanctions, and the firm doesn't have a good image among Korean consumers. Xiaomi, however, is not currently subject to sanctions, and it is a Chinese brand that is less controversial in Korea. 

Xi may have chosen a Xiaomi phone out of consideration for South Korea's position of being caught between the US and China as the two superpowers jockey for hegemony and technological superiority.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung share a laugh while they present the gifts that each leader prepared for the other ahead of a banquet at the Sono Calm hotel in Gyeongju on Nov. 1, 2025. (courtesy of the presidential office)

The message sent by presenting a smartphone that contains LG components may be even more complicated. Xi chose a Xiaomi 15 Ultra, the predecessor to the latest Xiaomi 17 premium model. Xi seems to have opted for the slightly older model because it uses LG's display technology. 

On April 12, 2023, Xi surprised many people by visiting the LG Display factory in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. It's extremely rare for Xi to visit a foreign-operated factory in China, and this was his first visit to a factory operated by a Korean firm. 

South Korea's relations with China were not favorable at the time, so many people viewed the visit as expressive of Xi's desire to cooperate economically with South Korea.  

A week later, however, President Yoon Suk-yeol said that Korea “absolutely oppose[s]” any attempt to change the status quo on the Taiwan Strait ahead of his state visit to the US. The mood on the Chinese front soured. 

The spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry criticized the remarks by declaring that the Chinese “do not need to be told what should or should not be done” — a response that the South Korean Foreign Ministry then called a “breach of diplomatic etiquette” and summoned the Chinese ambassador to relay an official protest. 

As South Korea continued to respond forcefully to China’s high-pressure tactics, Xi’s visit to the LG Display factory was quickly forgotten. 

Xi’s choice of an older Xiaomi smartphone that uses LG parts as his gift to Lee may be interpreted as an attempt to harken back to that visit in 2023 in order to express a desire to restore amicable relations with Korea and strengthen economic cooperation. 

During their summit, Lee and Xi opted to each openly address the various pain points in Korea-China relations while agreeing to work on what they could for starters. 

Though Xi did not offer any clear position in response to Lee’s repeated emphasis on the role that China should play in resolving issues on the Korean Peninsula, it’s also notable that neither side’s readout of the summit included any mention of the touchy Taiwan issue. China’s readout of the talks referred to the issue only in roundabout terms, saying that the two sides agreed to “accommodate each other’s core interests.” 

Instead, the two sides agreed to accelerate cooperation on the economy and public livelihood issues, signing memoranda of understanding on extending their currency swap arrangement, a joint economic cooperation plan for 2026-2030, and strengthening exchanges and services and trade while working on the second phase of negotiations for a Korea-China free trade agreement. 

The 2026-2030 economic cooperation plan contains plans for progressing Korea-China economic cooperation in line with China’s 15th five-year plan. 

By Park Min-hee, senior staff writer

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]