Daughter Says Deng’s Health Has Declined

A daughter of China’s paramount leader, Deng Xiaoping, said on Thursday that her father’s health had declined significantly in recent months and that he was unable to stand or walk.

The daughter, Xiao Rong, denied reports that he had entered a hospital, as a Japanese newspaper reported this week, and said he remained at home at the family compound in Beijing. But her unusually frank remarks in an 80-minute interview did little to dispel concern that his death is near.

The health of Deng, the most influential of a generation of leaders who came to power with Mao Zedong in 1949, has been the focus of intense international speculation in recent months as China prepares a transition to a younger generation of leaders.

Xiao’s remarks about her father’s condition are highly unusual for any relative of a Chinese leader to make.