PUBLISHED ONJanuary 06, 2026 7:18 AMBYSean LerSouth Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Monday (Jan 5) took a selfie with Chinese President Xi Jinping using a Xiaomi smartphone gifted to him by the latter in November last year.
Writing on his X account, Lee headlined his post "The video quality is definitely good right?".
"A selfie with President Xi Jinping and his wife, taken with the Xiaomi I received as a gift in Geyongju," Lee wrote.
"Thanks to them, I got the shot of a lifetime," the South Korean leader added.
Lee ended off his post by saying that he will communicate "more often" with Xi and cooperate "even more" in the future.
<화질은 확실하쥬? 😁>
경주에서 선물 받은 샤오미로 시진핑 주석님 내외분과 셀카 한 장..
덕분에 인생샷 건졌습니다 ㅎㅎ
가까이서 만날수록 풀리는 한중관계,
앞으로 더 자주 소통하고 더 많이 협력하겠습니다^^ pic.twitter.com/F9YnwFufb7— 이재명 (@Jaemyung_Lee) January 5, 2026
The smartphone was one of two handsets gifted to the South Korean leader by Xi when the two exchanged gifts following the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit in Korea on Nov 1. He was also presented with traditional calligraphy tools by the Chinese President.
The Chinese-made Xiaomi handset drew attention when Xi cracked a rare joke to Lee as the two sides exchanged their gifts.
Lee had asked if handset was secure, referring to the device's security, when the Chinese leader urged him to "check if there is a backdoor".
Both leaders then broke into wide smiles, with foreign policy observers noting that the banter was a rare display of humour from the Chinese leader, who is not often seen making jokes publicly, much less about espionage.
The choice of the model, a Xiaomi 15 Ultra, is also noteworthy.
While not the latest Xiaomi 17 premium model, the older model utilises South Korean company LG's display technology.
The Jan 5 meeting was Lee's second with Xi in just two months — a sign of Beijing's keen interest in boosting economic collaboration and tourism with Seoul as China's relations with Northeast Asia's other big economy Japan have reached the lowest point in years in a dispute over policy towards Taiwan.
Lee has said that he wants to open a "new phase" for relations with China, acknowledging that China is South Korea's largest trading partner.
"This summit will be an important opportunity to make 2026 the first year of full-scale restoration of Korea-China relations," Lee said. "I believe that efforts to develop the strategic co-operation and partnership between the two countries into an irreversible trend of the times will continue."
The South Korean leader's state visit to China ends on Jan 7.
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