Deng's 120th anniversary and the clash over the economy in Beijing.

An old article that - praising the late leader's openings - called for “more courage” in economic reforms blocked on social media. Strict state control listed among the causes of the current slowdown in growth. While Xi Jinping uses the tribute to Deng to revive his own slogans and warn Taiwan.

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Despite the line dictated by Xi Jinping himself in an Aug. 23 anniversary speech published in the state-run Xinhua news agency, the 120th anniversary of the birth of Deng Xiaoping, supreme leader of the People's Republic of China between 1978 and 1989, has become an occasion for some Chinese economists to call for bolder economic reforms.

Several comments have been censored because of the authorities' growing sensitivity to criticism of economic policy.

Deng is remembered for initiating historic reforms in China by opening up its “socialism with Chinese characteristics” to the market economy and foreign investment.

It is an extremely sensitive issue at a time when the control imposed by Xi Jinping is pointed to by many as one of the causes of the current slowdown in the Chinese economy.

A critical article by one of China's leading liberal economists and professor at Peking University, Zhang Weiying, was deleted twice yesterday by internet censors after being widely circulated on the Chinese social network WeChat.

The article, originally published in 2018, praised Deng for his courage in embracing market forces even at the expense of state planning and acting boldly on reforms while trying to “cross the river by feeling the stones.”

Other articles that were not removed also used Deng's anniversary to express reformist views. “China has again come to a crossroads in history,” said Wang Zhigang, another economist, in an article published online.

“Only by carefully examining, arranging and collecting Deng's legacy by opening it up to the future can we commemorate him to the fullest.”

President Xi Jinping himself hailed Deng as “the chief architect of China's socialist reform, opening-up and modernization,” but took the opportunity to revive his own slogans, arguing that China “must move forward, focusing on the task of building a strong country and realizing national rejuvenation through comprehensive Chinese modernization.”

Also pointing out that achieving the complete reunification of China had long been the aspiration of Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping and other members of the older generation of revolutionaries, Xi also reiterated his opposition to “Taiwan independence” to safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

• China
• Xi Jinping
• Deng Xiaoping