Inertia in reforming China's state-owned enterprises: the case of Chongqing

摘要

This research analyzes the current reform status of Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Through field trips and interviews (that took place July-August 1995) with state enterprises in Chongqing, one of China's largest industrial cities, the author wishes to provide insights into the operation and mentality of Chinese SOEs. The author finds that the Chinese SOEs' inability to phase out government protection results not only from their heavy burden of social responsibilities, but also their reluctance to accept the challenges of market forces and to divorce themselves from the fundamentals that characterize socialist enterprises. The findings shed light on the pace as well as strategy of reforming China's SOEs.