China Briefing | After powerful start, Li Keqiang's frustration grows with resistance to reforms

Does Premier Li Keqiang have the strength of character to live up to his name, which means "to become powerful"?

This is still a big question for many analysts who have closely tracked Li's stewardship of the world's second-largest economy since he came to power more than a year and a half ago.

For the first few months of his premiership, Li enjoyed a brief honeymoon with the media and enthusiastic economists who coined the term "Likonomics".

Li and his cabinet were praised for their determination to push for economic restructuring, for resisting calls for economic stimulus and for trying to rein in debt to contain financial risk.

In particular, Li staked his premiership on forcing officials to streamline and delegate government regulatory powers to allow a more decisive role for market forces in the economy. He vowed his cabinet would "display courage like a brave man cutting his own wrist" to push for restructuring.

Several months later, and buzzwords like Likonomics have vanished from the mouths of the media and economists as downward pressure on the economy gathers pace amid rising international concerns over political and economic uncertainties on the mainland.