Many people outside the mainland cling to the misconception that the Communist Party leadership, through its dictatorial rule, can easily overcome opposition and enforce difficult decisions for the overall good of the country, unlike politicians in the West, who have to pander to special interest groups.
This may have been true in the past, but increasingly, central government leaders are finding that their implementation of the national policies is constantly impeded by special interest groups that are often represented by local authorities.
There is no better example of the constant sparring between the central government and local officials than the property market.
That explains why a report at the weekend of a pledge by Premier Wen Jiabao not to relax a campaign to restrain property prices and limit speculation makes for interesting reading, not least because it is most likely to trigger a plunge in share prices of listed mainland property companies when the markets open today.
During a visit to Changzhou, Jiangsu province, Wen said the central government would not scale back its two-year-old campaign towards what had been widely seen as an overheated market.
In particular, he said curbing speculative investment in the property market should be a long-term policy.
While his tone was resolute and his determination clear, it is also worth noting that this was the fifth time in the past seven months that he had expressed such sentiment, indicating he is having a tough time getting his message across.