Grapevine: Oct. 24, 1988

EASY DOES IT, YOUNG MAN. Will Communist Party General Secretary Zhao Ziyang, 68, eventually succeed Deng Xiaoping, 84, as China's leader? A recent spasm of economic unrest did not help his chances. Zhao reluctantly called for a slowdown in the pace of reform. But that decision is likely to slow his ascension. China's veteran military commanders will now wait to see if Zhao, once considered a shoo-in to succeed Deng, can put the economy back on course.

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