Foreign companies welcome in SOE reform

China welcomes foreign enterprises to take part in the country's mixed-ownership reform, as a list of State-owned enterprises to carry out such reform is soon to be released, top officials said Thursday.

"We are currently conducting research on the third batch of mixed-ownership reform pilots, which is expected to be available soon," Peng Huagang, deputy secretary-general of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, said in a press conference.

When asked about whether this meant laying out a welcome mat for US companies, Xiao Yaqing, head of SASAC, said, "We welcome foreign companies, including US-funded ones, to participate in China's mixed-ownership reform."

"We also hope US enterprises have a complete and objective knowledge of China, and open more to China," he said.

In recent years, China has been pursuing a mixed-ownership reform of SOEs. The first two batches, totaling 19 enterprises, are in progress. They cover key industries such as electricity, oil and gas, railway, civil aviation and the military-industrial sectors.

Xiao said so far the reform has achieved good results, but needs more time to further progress.