Paranoia appears to be on the upswing in China once again as President Xi Jinping attempts to force painful structural reforms past resentful provincial and local governments, the bitter medicine for years of distortions imposed by China's wave of economic stimulus. He seems well poised to do this. Observers often call him the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong. On the outside, it appears to be true. But China's ruling authorities are behaving as if they are anything but secure -- since February, Chinese censors have responded harshly to seemingly innocent slips in the press. China's harsh response suggests that political struggle is more intense than it has been in decades....
