Xi Jinping's reforms encounter 'unimaginably fierce resistance', Chinese state media says in 'furious' commentary
President Xi Jinping's wide-ranging reform push, covering everything from politics to the military, has come up against "unimaginably" fierce resistance, according to a tersely worded commentary carried by state media on Thursday.
In unusually strong language, the article said the reforms were at a critical stage and had encountered immense difficulties, affecting the interests of various groups.
"The in-depth reform touches the basic issue of reconfiguring the lifeblood of this enormous economy and is aimed at making it healthier," the article said. "The scale of the resistance is beyond what could have been imagined."
The commentary was attributed to "Guoping", an apparent pen name used by state media to comment on major state and Communist Party issues. It appeared in state media including the websites of CCTV and .
Observers said the commentary suggested the reforms had not achieved the desired results and were opposed by various factions.
Xu Yaotong, a political science professor at the Chinese Academy of Governance, said the publication came amid concerns the anti-corruption campaign, which had targeted several top military officials and politicians, was waning and that other reforms had attracted opposition.
