The late Chinese leader referred to in the crossword solutions is Mao Zedong, who was the founding father of the People's Republic of China and served as its Chairman from 1949 until his death in 1976. The other late Chinese leader referred to is DENG Xiaoping, who was the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China from 1978 to 1992. He is credited with initiating the economic reforms that transformed China into one of the world's fastest-growing economies.