China's Hu shows lighter side in ping-pong diplomacy

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Hu Jintao broke with the stereotype of the country's communist rulers being dull and wooden on Friday, smiling, gesturing and even cracking a joke in a rare news conference with foreign media.

After a 70-minute interview in which he fielded screened questions ranging from the country's economy to its geopolitical role in the world, Hu was asked what Olympic event he would compete in if given the chance.

"I didn't expect the last question to be the most difficult one," he said.

He went on to say he liked swimming, but table tennis was his first choice.

"If I were to choose an event to compete in, I would choose table tennis," Hu told the select group of foreign reporters at Beijing's Great Hall of the People where the country's leaders usually meet visiting dignitaries.

"But I want to tell you that as the line-up of the Chinese table tennis team is already finalized, it seems my hope is unlikely to be realized."

Hu waited quietly in the wings for more than 10 years, playing his cards close to his chest and keeping rivals guessing about his politics, until emerging from the shadows of his predecessor, Jiang Zemin, in 2002.

But even to many former colleagues and friends, Hu remains a bit of an enigma. Few personal details are known about him save that he likes dancing and ping-pong and has a photographic memory.

(Reporting by Reinhard Krause and Benjamin Kang Lim; Editing by Nick Macfie and David Fox)