UN climate summit: Morrison’s ‘tackle China’ slip goes viral

Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison presents his national statement as part of the World Leaders' Summit of the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland on Nov 1, 2021.
(IAN FORSYTH / POOL / AFP)

CANBERRA – A video clip of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison made a mistake during a COP26 speech has gone viral on social media, with Twitter users saying it was a "Freudian slip."

Morrison, supposed to say "global momentum to tackle climate change," mistakenly said "tackle China" during his address at the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Krishani Dhanji, a political producer with Australia's SBS News, shared the video footage on Twitter, saying, "A faux pas from the PM?"

Morrison, Dhanji added, appeared to say "global momentum to tackle 'China'" instead of "climate change" before correcting himself.

READ MORE: Faux pas: Macron says Turnbull's wife 'delicious'

The post attracted lots of comments.

"Poor fellow always switched on with anti-China mode," said a Twitter user who goes by the name Prasanna Shan.

"Well spotted. A classic Freudian slip of the tongue," said another who goes by the name Leni Barid.