President Jiang Zemin has pledged his support for Shenzhen amid municipal cadres' fears that the central Government's interest in the zone is dwindling.
Shenzhen officials regarded Mr Jiang's four-hour stay yesterday - after flying in from a visit to Cambodia - timely backing after the recent spate of corruption cases in the city and the growing competition from Shanghai.
Beijing analysts said Mr Jiang had used the trip to boost his image as a keen follower of his mentor, the late patriarch Deng Xiaoping, who was the symbol of open market reform and patron of the special economic zones.
'Mr Jiang would like to boost his image as the inheritor of Deng's mantle,' a senior editor said in Beijing.
'By presiding over the unveiling ceremony of Deng's statue, Mr Jiang is praising the emblem of reform.
'By upholding reform, he might gain the needed credit after his recent move tightening ideological control and cracking down on the Falun Gong group and underground churches.'
