Opinion'Hello beautiful!' Xi Jinping's 'flirtatious' greeting surprises China

First Vice Premier stunned China watchers with his casual humour during a recent trip to America, and now President Xi Jinping has been heard calling a young woman "beautiful" in front of reporters

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Xi Jinping is heard calling a local Wuhan woman "beautiful". Photo: SCMP pictures

Published: 11:36am, 23 Jul 2013Updated: 11:06am, 24 Jul 2013

While journalists around the world reported the birth of a baby for Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, Chinese media on Tuesday were focused on President Xi Jinping, 59 - who was heard calling a young woman in central Wuhan city “beautiful” in front of reporters.

This came just days after former president Jiang Zemin gave Xi his full backing during a meeting with former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, calling him a “very capable and talented state leader”

“Hello beautiful,” Xi hailed local woman Guo Tingting during his visit to “Wuhan Citizens Home,” a government service centre on Monday, according to the Chutian Metropolis Daily.

“This is definitely better than calling women “comrades,” a microblogger wrote. Often used by communist party members when referring to fellow cadres, the word "comrade" has now taken on a more popular meaning in China - “homosexual".

Guo, who was apparently exhilarated after her good looks were acknowledged by the president, told her work mates: “Who will dare not to call me a beautiful after this?,” media reports said.

While most people seemed to appeciate the casual way Xi greeted Guo, some were critical.