Hu makes a difference

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