The Reform of State-Owned Enterprises

State-owned enterprises (SOEs) are the pillars of China's economy. They serve as important material and political foundations for Chinese socialism, and a guarantor of CPC governance. They play an important role in advancing socialist productive forces and realizing industrialization and modernization.

Due to supporting heavy social burdens and overmanning, the SOEs at one point sank into a very difficult state, which weakened them in comparison to booming private enterprises. To push SOE reform forward, various policies were adopted under different conditions at different times.

For instance, in the 1990s, the SOEs focused on transforming their management, separating enterprise management from government administration, adopting new systems and making strategic adjustments. At that time, SOE reform was one of the main tasks in China's economic reform.

In January 1997, a State Council meeting proposed that SOEs downsize to increase efficiency, redirect laid-off workers, follow bankruptcy procedures and seek merger opportunities. The meeting announced bankruptcies and mergers among SOEs in 110 pilot cities. The following year, the State Economic and Trade Commission urged the SOEs to accelerate reform so that large and medium-sized loss-making enterprises could address their problems through reorganized and reinforced management, and establish a modern corporate system by the end of the 20th century. The 15th CPC Central Committee rolled out objectives and guidelines for SOE reform and development in a decision taken at its fourth plenary session in September 1999.

Through three years of reform, the SOEs found their burdens eased and their losses turned into profits. The stronger ones prospered and the weaker ones fell by the wayside. They have maintained an ongoing commitment to reform ever since.

Since 2012, the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping at the core has devised further plans and policies on SOE reform, focusing on top-level design and a holistic approach, and the SOEs have made impressive progress. In September 2015, the central authorities released a decision on further SOE reform. Under this guideline, a policy framework set the direction with specific goals for the reform. In June 2020, the Central Commission on Further Reform rolled out a three-year action plan (2020-2022) to guide SOE reform.

Through years of reform, the SOEs have on the whole adapted well to the market economy, become more efficient and provided better quality, making a great contribution to China's economic and social development and composite national strength.

國有企業改革

國有企業是中國國民經濟的支柱，是中國特色社會主義的重要物質基礎和政治基礎，是中國共產黨執政興國的重要支柱和依靠力量。發展社會主義社會的生產力，實現國家的工業化和現代化，始終要依靠和發揮國有企業的重要作用。

由于社會負擔重、歷史包袱多、企業冗員嚴重等諸多問題的困擾，與蓬勃發展的民營企業相比，國有企業一度陷入舉步維艱的境地。中共中央、國務院在不同歷史時期，針對中國國情和國有企業實際，采取了一系列措施，不斷將國有企業改革向縱深推進。進入20世紀90年代，國有企業改革在前期改革基礎上，朝著轉換機制、政企分開、制度創新、戰略調整的方向邁進。國有企業改革成為中國經濟體制改革的中心環節。

1997年1月，國務院召開會議提出，解決國有企業的困難，要堅持走減員增效、下崗分流、規范破產、鼓勵兼并的路子，并宣布對110個試點城市的國有企業破產、兼并的政策。1998年5月，國家經濟貿易委員會印發《關于1998年國有企業改革和發展工作的意見》，提出加快國有企業改革和發展是1998年至2000年經濟體制改革的中心環節和重要任務，即通過改革、改組、改造和加強管理，使大多數國有大中型虧損企業擺脫困境，力爭到20世紀末使大多數國有大中型骨干企業初步建立起現代企業制度。1999年9月，中共十五屆四中全會通過《關于國有企業改革和發展若干重大問題的決定》，提出國有企業改革和發展的主要目標和指導方針。經過3年攻堅，國有企業負擔有所減輕，國企優勝劣汰得以促進，整體實現了扭虧為盈。此后，國有企業從未停止過改革的步伐。

中共十八大以來，以習近平同志為核心的中共中央親自謀劃、部署和推動國有企業改革，更加注重改革的頂層設計，更加注重改革的系統性、整體性和協同性，國有企業改革取得新的重大進展和歷史性成就。2015年9月，中共中央、國務院印發《關于深化國有企業改革的指導意見》，并以此為統領，以若干配套文件為支撐，形成了國企改革的“1+N”政策體系，有力保證了國企改革有方向、有目標、有遵循。2020年6月，中央全面深化改革委員會第十四次會議審議通過《國企改革三年行動方案（2020—2022年）》，對新發展階段深化國企改革作出重要部署。

通過持續多年的改革，中國的國有企業總體上已經同市場經濟相融合，發展質量和效率明顯提高，為推動中國的經濟社會發展和提升綜合國力作出重大貢獻。