Reform of SOEs

Reform of the enterprises that are owned by the whole people, commonly known as “state-owned enterprises” (SOEs), is a major central leadership action designed to invigorate these companies and make them bigger and stronger. This reform has continued throughout China’s four decades of reform and opening up.

From 1978 to 1984 reform experimented with giving more decision-making power to the enterprises. The government delegated some powers to them for planning, product marketing, and profit retention. The profits reserved gave the SOEs financial resources to develop production, reward their workers, and improve their welfare.

In December 1986 the State Council issued a document on further reform to invigorate these enterprises, marking the formal launch of SOE reform. The document permitted small SOEs to try leasing and contracting operations, and large and medium-sized ones to adopt diverse forms of responsibility systems in operating their business. A few large and medium-sized SOEs in different localities were selected to experiment with shareholding systems. On a deeper level this tackled such problems as lack of initiative and low economic efficiency. It also removed public bias and prejudice against ownership models other than state ownership.

The Third Plenary Session of the 14th CPC Central Committee made it clear that the goal of SOE reform was to introduce a modern corporate structure featuring “clearly established ownership, well-defined power and responsibility, separation of government administration and enterprise management, and scientific management.”

The 15th CPC National Congress held in 1997 stated that in order to improve the state sector as a whole, China would conduct strategic reorganization of SOEs by managing large enterprises well and relaxing control over small ones.

The 16th CPC National Congress set the task of reforming the state assets management system by introducing a system under which the central and the local governments would assume the responsibilities of investors on behalf of the state.

The 19th CPC National Congress underscored the need to improve the systems for managing different types of state assets, and reform the system of authorized operation of state capital. In the state-owned sector, China will step up improved distribution, structural adjustment, and strategic reorganization. It will ensure that state assets maintain and increase their value, support state capital assets in becoming stronger, doing better and growing bigger, and prevent any loss of state assets. It will further reform SOEs, develop mixed-ownership economic entities, and turn Chinese enterprises into world-class, globally competitive firms.

Thanks to 40 years of reform, SOEs have seen fundamental changes in their management and operation systems, enhanced quality of operation and faster growth, and greater leverage and influence on the part of the state sector of the economy.

全民所有制企業改革

全民所有制企業改革是中央提高國有企業活力、實施做強做大國有企業方針的重大戰略舉措。改革開放40年，全民所有制企業改革像一根紅線貫穿始終。1978年到1984年之間，全民所有制企業改革主要圍繞擴大企業自主權進行試點，這一階段，在計劃制訂、產品銷售、利潤留存等方面，政府給企業下放了一些權力，特別是實行了企業留利制度，使國有企業在發展生產、改善職工集體福利和獎勵職工等方面有了一定的財力。1986年12月，國務院做出《關于深化企業改革增強企業活力的若干規定》，全民所有制改革正式啟動。規定提出，全民所有制小型企業可積極試行租賃、承包經營，全民所有制大中型企業要實行多種形式的經營責任制，各地可以選擇少數有條件的全民所有制大中型企業進行股份制試點。這在更深的層次上解決了作為經濟主體的國企缺乏積極性、整體經濟效率不高的問題，同時也進一步消除了人們對不同所有制企業間的偏見和歧視。

1993年召開的十四屆三中全會明確了國有企業改革的方向是建立“產權清晰、權責明確、政企分開、管理科學”的現代企業制度。1997年召開的黨的十五大提出，要著眼于搞好整個國有經濟，抓好大的，放活小的，對國有企業實施戰略性改組。2002年召開的黨的十六大提出了深化國有資產管理體制改革的重大任務，要求建立中央政府和地方政府分別代表國家履行出資人職責的制度。2017年召開的黨的十九大強調，要完善各類國有資產管理體制，改革國有資本授權經營體制，加快國有經濟布局優化、結構調整、戰略性重組，促進國有資產保值增值，推動國有資本做強做優做大，有效防止國有資產流失。深化國有企業改革，發展混合所有制經濟，培育具有全球競爭力的世界一流企業。簡言之，經過40

年的改革，全民所有制企業的管理體制和運行機制發生了根本性的變化，運行質量和發展速度有了顯著提高，國有經濟的控制力和影響力大大增強。