On Friday, President Trump and a group of U.S. officials departed Beijing following two days of high-level discussions with the Chinese government, headed by President Xi Jinping.

Prior to boarding Air Force One, White House personnel and journalists were required to hand over various items obtained during the visit, such as staff burner phones, credential badges, and lapel pins given by China. Those on Air Force One disposed of these items in a bin located at the foot of the plane’s stairs, according to a reporter in the White House press pool. 

“No items from China permitted on the aircraft,” Emily Goodin, the White House correspondent for the New York Post, mentioned in a post on X.

Images from the visit depict several individuals in the U.S. government delegation, including Trump, White House communications director Steven Cheung, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, and Secret Service agents, all wearing pins on their coat lapels. 

Goodin did not clarify why officials and reporters were required to dispose of those items, presumably due to security concerns. Although the summit seemed amicable, China continues to be a primary adversary of the United States, considering its advanced intelligence and espionage capabilities. The U.S. and its allies have long accused China of engaging in spying and executing cyberattacks.

It’s not unreasonable to think some of the presented items could have been bugged, as governments have done in the past. It is also plausible that the burner phones were targeted during the visit. Burner phones are meant to be fresh, dedicated devices that can be utilized in areas where attacks could be anticipated and subsequently discarded. 

Representatives for the White House did not immediately reply to a request for comment.