REFORMIST economists have seconded patriarch Mr Deng Xiaoping's call for speeding up reform in spite of fears of the economy overheating.
The liberal scholars expressed support for a speech Mr Deng gave in Shanghai in late January, in which he played down the severity of the overheating.
The official China News Service quoted the economists as saying it was not necessary to step on the brakes and calling for the thorough dismantling of central planning.
Mr Du Runsheng, a former adviser to ousted party chief Mr Zhao Ziyang, said: ''Now that Deng Xiaoping has suggested that the opportunity must not be missed, we must have the boldness to cut through the barriers. We should not be afraid of this or that.'' Liberal scholars and cadres including Mr Wu Jinglian, Mr Tong Dalian, and Mr Xiang Nan indirectly attacked leftist efforts to turn back reform in the name of curing the economic dislocations.
Meanwhile, a well-known leftist has urged intellectuals to learn from Shenzhen and not be ''wrapped up'' in theoretical debate.
The call by Mr Xing Bensi, vice-president of the Central Party School, to emulate the free-wheeling special zone appeared on the front page of Guangming Daily yesterday.