HAPPY Birthday. China's patriarch, Deng Xiaoping, turns 89 today.
Last seen in public in Shanghai around Chinese New Year, the market has recently been reassured by official statements that, contrary to some press reports, Mr Deng is in good health.
The credibility of official medical reports on the Middle Kingdom's aging leading proletariats, however, was brought into question when Prime Minister Li Peng, reportedly recuperating from a ''bad cold'', had by all accounts suffered a heart attack.
Although Mr Li made a brief appearance to welcome Malaysia's Prime Minister, Dr Mohamed Mahathir, and by all appearances seemed to be in good health, he has faded into political obscurity with Vice Prime Minister Zhu Rongji rising to the challenge to become economic overlord.
Mr Deng's daughters and even President Jiang Zemin have pronounced him to be in good health, adding that he is still preparing to visit Hong Kong come 1997 and to attend the Summer Olympics in the year 2000 if the vote should go Beijing's way.
That may be, but Mr Deng did not manage to attend the funeral last month of General Li Da, one of his closest confidantes.
