FLASH
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Xi Jinping is not known for his easy smiles. China's most powerful communist leader in decades has built a reputation, reinforced by state media during his 12-year rule, as a serious and steady hand.
But the images released by the White House show another side of Xi that the Chinese fail to see in their own media.
Xi attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea, where he met with US President Donald Trump for a bilateral meeting at Gimhae Air Base in Busan.
All eyes were on how the leaders of the world's two largest economies would resolve their disputes over a range of topics, from soybeans and fentanyl to rare earth minerals and high-end computer chips.
But, apart from the tough diplomacy, the photos released by the White House captured a rare candid moment between the two leaders.
In a room full of suit-clad diplomats, Trump was seen in one image with his arm stretched across the negotiating table to show Xi a piece of paper. Whatever was written or printed on the paper remains unknown.
In another image, the Chinese leader is seen smiling with his eyes closed, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi laughing next to him. It is not clear whether the images are in chronological order.
Two days later, Xi was caught on camera joking as he exchanged gifts with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, according to a Reuters video.
Lee first presented Xi with a wooden board for the game of Go. The Chinese leader then gave Lee and his wife two Chinese-made Xiaomi phones, which an official said came with screens made in South Korea, the home of electronics giants Samsung and LG.
Then Lee jokingly asked: “How is the communication security?” causing laughter in the room.
Xi, who was also laughing at this point, replied: “You can check if there are any back doors.”
A backdoor vulnerability refers to a hidden method of accessing a user's device without their knowledge. The problem has sparked a series of accusations between China and other countries.
Beijing has recently expressed concerns about a US proposal to have advanced chips sold abroad equipped with tracking functionality, a suggestion that prompted US chipmaker Nvidia to say its chips did not have "backdoors".
Meanwhile, many Western countries have raised cybersecurity concerns regarding some devices manufactured in China.
The two unexpected moments from Xi contrast with his carefully crafted image at home, where he was recently seen leading a military parade wearing a Mao suit, an outfit associated with Mao Zedong, the founding father of communist China.
Before his meeting with Trump, he chaired a party plenum, delivering speeches in a stoic demonstration of his tight control over China's political apparatus.
Xi's predecessor, Jiang Zemin, who served as president between 1993 and 2003, was known for his bright personality, cosmopolitan talent and willingness to showcase his language skills and interact with journalists.
Xi, however, has followed a different course. Along with curbing freedom of expression in China, he has maintained tight control over his image and the flow of information. Elite politics have become so opaque under his rule that experts are searching for every clue to China’s leadership, from analyzing Xi’s words for their true meaning to assessing the color of his hair.
Xi's more relaxed international appearances in South Korea barely made it onto China's tightly controlled internet. Censors often remove any coverage of Xi that deviates from the official narrative in the country, where most Western news websites and social media platforms are banned.
Footage and images showing Xi's hilarious exchanges with his American and South Korean counterparts were nowhere to be found on two of the country's most popular social media platforms: Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, and Xiaohongshu.
Several posts from Chinese-language media outlets based outside China, which reported Xi's gift exchange with South Korea's Lee, were available on X's similar platform, Weibo.
The posts only attracted a few comments from users, despite hundreds of messages. Among the reactions that survived, one user posted a thumbs-up emoji and another left a smiley face.
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