POWERFUL party elder Peng Zhen has made a comeback to the media limelight, complicating the scenario for the post-Deng Xiaoping succession.
Mr Peng, 92, a former chairman of the National People's Congress, has made what his friends in Beijing call a 'near-miraculous recovery' from cancer and made frequent appearances in the capital.
Since the veteran, who used to be in charge of the legal and security apparatus, is considered a conservative, his 'reappearance' is thought to bode ill for Mr Deng's plan to pass the baton to a reformist leadership.
Political sources said Mr Peng might ally himself with such other conservative elders as Chen Yun and Song Ping in picking the new generation of cadres.
Recently, however, there have been indications that Mr Peng, also a former Beijing mayor, might have sent signals that he was willing to make a compromise with the Deng camp.
The Chinese press reported yesterday that Mr Peng had last month visited the Capital Iron and Steel Works (Shougang), whose management had benefited from the patronage of the Deng family.
The reports quoted Mr Peng as telling the head of the corporation, Zhou Guanwu, that he saluted him as well as other staff.
