China's central SOEs deliver strong performance

Xiao Yaqing, head of State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), answers questions on reform of state-owned enterprises at a press conference for the fifth session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 9, 2017. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua)

China's centrally administered state-owned enterprises (SOEs) performed well in the first two months of 2017 thanks to a stabilizing economy and better management, the state assets regulator said Thursday.

Combined profits of China's centrally-administered SOEs surged 29.1 percent year-on-year to 168.6 billion yuan (about 24.37 billion U.S. dollars) in the first two months, Xiao Yaqing, head of State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), told a press conference on the sidelines of the annual parliamentary session.

The country's 102 central SOEs saw revenues up 15.2 percent to 3.7 trillion yuan in the two months from the same period last year, according to Xiao.

Xiao said the strong growth was a result of reductions in cost and management expenses, which also reflects the stabilization of the national economy.

Total profits of China's central SOEs climbed 0.5 percent year on year to more than 1.23 trillion yuan in 2016, while revenues rose 2.6 percent to 23.4 trillion yuan, SASAC data showed.

Xiao voiced "full confidence" in the performance of China's SOEs this year, but he also warned of economic uncertainties and stressed the need to keep potential risks under control.

China pledged to deepen SOE reform in 2017 in a government work report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang Sunday, promising measures such as introducing a mixed ownership system and more efforts to make SOEs leaner,healthier, and perform better.