Beijing vows to channel 80% state assets to public service

Beijing is set to make its State-owned enterprises (SOEs) do the business they're supposed to do: serve the public.

In a recent notice on deepening SOE reforms, the Beijing municipal government vowed to spend at least 80 percent of its State assets on public services and raise the percentage of public-serving SOEs to 60 percent by 2020.

The notice divides SOEs into three categories, namely those that are for public service, those that have special missions and those that are commercial and compete in the market.

The reform will cut the number of SOEs that fall into the third category and raise the concentration of SOEs that function for public benefit.

Beijing Deputy Mayor Zhang Gong said focusing State assets on the field of public service is the right direction. He said SOEs are supposed to serve and support infrastructure construction, public welfare, city management and environmental protection.