China | Two very different leaders

Why Xi Jinping is envious of his predecessor

China’s ruler would like to grab Deng Xiaoping’s legacy

Deng Xiaoping in 1976
What would he make of Mr Xi?Photograph: Getty Images
|BEIJING

DENG XIAOPING was barely five feet tall, but China’s late ruler was a political giant. He was a leading figure in the Communist revolution and a hard-nosed Leninist. Yet, as ruler, he launched market-oriented reforms and opened China up to the world. On August 22nd, the 120th anniversary of Deng’s birth, China’s current leader, Xi Jinping, lauded his “extraordinary life”.

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This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Two very different leaders”

From the August 31st 2024 edition

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