Hu makes a difference

Unlike other world leaders who spoke before the Asian-African Summit here on Friday, Chinese President Hu Jintao preferred not to strictly follow diplomatic practice when addressing his audience.

Instead of addressing the heads of state and government as "excellencies", Hu opted for "dear colleagues" when speaking to the dignitaries.

China, the world's most populous country, is one of the few surviving communist states, where the absence of social stratification enables citizens to refer to each other as comrades. - JP