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Still fiercely ambitious, Teng may not be easily contained in a subservient role. Hua cannot even count on gratitude and unquestioning loyalty from Teng, since even the great Mao could not command that. Some analysts have speculated that he may conspire with the powerful Defense Minister to push Hua aside in a gerontocratic coup. The majority opinion is that, as one China watcher put it, "time is obviously on Hua's side. As long as he holds on to the party chairmanship, he can probably afford to have Teng around."
Abrasive Style. Teng's reappearance at Hua's right hand last week suggests that he may join in the talks with Cyrus Vance when the U.S. Secretary of State visits Peking next month. If he does, Vance may be in for a difficult time. Teng has never attempted to temper his abrasive style when negotiating with foreign leaders. After his first encounter with Teng, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger called him "that nasty little man," adding later that he was "extremely intelligent." Vance clashed with Teng during a 1975 visit to Peking for unofficial foreign policy discussions. In a curious display of mock humility, Teng described himself as a "country bumpkin"—a mere "clod of earth"—but then ridiculed Vance's concern over nuclear proliferation. Teng also insisted that "on a number of important issues"—including Taiwan—"there can be no common language" between the U.S. and China. Two years have passed since he made that gloomy assertion, but there is no reason to suppose that Teng—whose views have proved relentlessly consistent—will have changed his mind.