Deng Meets Mubarak, Proves He’s Still Alive
Senior leader Deng Xiaoping met Sunday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. It was Deng’s first public appearance in three months, dispelling the latest rumors of his death.
A Chinese reporter said on condition of anonymity that Deng commented on last week’s rumor on Asian financial markets that he was dead. “But here I am today,” he said.
He said Chinese journalists were told not to report on the meeting. The national television news failed to mention it, the first time it has ever been known to keep silent on a meeting between Deng and a visiting head of state.
However, the official New China News Agency issued a brief report, saying Deng met Mubarak “as his old friend.”
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