United Nations mistakenly gives Xi Jinping princely title

蘋果日報 2020/09/24 06:40


A typo that appeared during the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday turned Chinese President Xi Jinping into a member of royalty, though he was swiftly dethroned as officials corrected the record.
Xi’s “Chinese Dream” started with his pre-recorded video address at the General Debate of the U.N. General Assembly. Participants noticed that Xi was given the title “His Highness” in the official itinerary and agenda, including all their translations.
Heads of state are usually given the title “Excellency” by the U.N., whereas monarchs are usually bestowed the title “Majesty” or “Highness.”
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This year’s General Assembly is being held remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many heads of state have chosen to deliver speeches, taking advantage of the fact that they do not have to physically travel to the U.N.'s headquarters in New York.
The typo meant that Xi and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani were the only two people from Tuesday’s list of speakers credited as “His Highness.” The error was corrected on the U.N.'s website a day later.
Users of Hong Kong’s Reddit-like forum LIHKG poked fun at the error, with one saying: “What’s wrong with ‘His Highness’? China is a monarchy.”
However, others noted that “His Highness” is typically used in the British tradition to refer to princes, not kings. One netizen said that the U.N. should be careful of offending “His Majesty” Xi with this inferior rank.
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