China releases state-owned company reform guidelines

AFP, BEIJING: China yesterday unveiled broad reform guidelines for state-owned companies aimed at making them more globally competitive and increasing transparency in a powerful sector of the world’s second-largest economy.
The guidelines, issued by the ruling Communist Party and the State Council, or cabinet, are meant to “deepen reforms” and “invigorate torpid SOEs” (state-owned enterprises), said the official Xinhua news agency.  “The government will improve the competence of SOEs and turn them into fully independent market entities,” it said.
The Chinese state manages more than 100 companies directly, including behemoths in key sectors such as transport, energy production and arms manufacturing.
But a key Communist Party meeting in 2013 called for the market to play a greater role in the economy by giving private companies more opportunities.
Analysts and foreign companies operating in China have complained that officials have been slow to carry out painful changes needed to unleash sectors of the economy that remain tightly controlled despite decades of reforms.
Among the reported changes are efforts to modernise SOEs, improve the management of state assets and diversify their ownership structures through “mixed ownership”—or the introduction of “multiple types of investors”—ultimately meaning more private shareholders or capital.
The guidelines call for non-state companies to buy stakes in SOEs, greater decision-making powers for SOE boards, the establishment of a pay system that is flexible and market-based and the hiring of more professional managers, Xinhua said.
Oversight of state-owned assets will be improved while supervision will be strengthened both within SOEs and from outside to “prevent abuse of power and the erosion of state-owned assets”, Xinhua said—a euphemism for embezzlement. The guidelines also call for the achievement of “decisive results” in key segments by 2020.
“The government should nurture a group of SOEs that are creative and can face international rivals by that time,” Xinhua quoted the guidelines as saying.

China releases state-owned company reform guidelines

AFP, BEIJING: China yesterday unveiled broad reform guidelines for state-owned companies aimed at making them more globally competitive and increasing transparency in a powerful sector of the worlds second-largest economy. The guidelines, issued by the ruling Communist Party and the State Council, or cabinet, are meant to deepen reforms and invigorate torpid SOEs (state-owned enterprises), said the official Xinhua news agency. The government will improve the competence of SOEs and turn them into fully independent market entities, it said. The Chinese state manages more than 100 companies directly, including behemoths in key sectors such as transport, energy production and arms manufacturing. But a key Communist Party meeting in 2013 called for the market to play a greater role in the economy by giving private companies more opportunities. Analysts and foreign companies operating in China have complained that officials have been slow to carry out painful changes needed to unleash sectors of the economy that remain tightly controlled despite decades of reforms. Among the reported changes are efforts to modernise SOEs, improve the management of state assets and diversify their ownership structures through mixed ownershipor the introduction of multiple types of investorsultimately meaning more private shareholders or capital. The guidelines call for non-state companies to buy stakes in SOEs, greater decision-making powers for SOE boards, the establishment of a pay system that is flexible and market-based and the hiring of more professional managers, Xinhua said. Oversight of state-owned assets will be improved while supervision will be strengthened both within SOEs and from outside to prevent abuse of power and the erosion of state-owned assets, Xinhua saida euphemism for embezzlement. The guidelines also call for the achievement of decisive results in key segments by 2020. The government should nurture a group of SOEs that are creative and can face international rivals by that time, Xinhua quoted the guidelines as saying.