Xi and Lee trade spy jokes with gifted phones


Call me maybe: Xi (far left) and Lee (second left) gifting each other phones during a meeting on the sidelines of the Apec summit in Gyeongju. — AFP

XI Jinping joked about spying on President Lee Jae-myung as he gifted him a pair of smartphones, telling him to “check if there is a backdoor” in a rare jest from the Chinese leader that made headlines in Seoul.

The lighthearted exchange took place on Saturday in Gyeongju, when Xi and Lee presented gifts to each other on the sidelines of an Apec summit, marking Xi’s first visit to South Korea in more than a decade.

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