The world continues to garble the name and title of Xi Jinping

IT HAS BEEN 11 years since Xi Jinping took charge in China, becoming one of the most powerful people in the world. But for many outsiders, this has not been enough time to learn how to pronounce his name. Foreign politicians and pundits often stumble over it. The letters “x” and “j” cause the most problems. In the English-speaking world, many insert a misguided series of “z” sounds into their pronunciation.This was on display last month when Mr Xi met President Joe Biden in America. Airwaves around the world buzzed with mangled sibilants. It seems the internet’s many pronunciation guides (and videos of failed attempts to say Mr Xi’s name) have yet to solve the problem.