Chinese Conservative's Death Ends Threat to Deng's Reforms

BEIJING The death of Chen Yun, China's reclusive opponent of freemarket capitalism, robs orthodox communists of their best opportunityto roll back the country's recent economic reforms.

His death also puts an end to the biggest fear of China'sreformers: that ailing leader Deng Xiaoping would die before Chen,allowing conservatives to rally around the survivor and reverseChina's most recent economic reforms.

"With Chen dead, there's no one else of his stature to lead acampaign against the reforms," a Western diplomat in Beijing said."Deng has scored a victory just by outliving Chen."

Party sources say the 90-year-old died of leukemia Monday in theBeijing …