China Considers Increased Employee Ownership in State-Owned Enterprises

China's long-running effort to strengthen state-owned enterprises includes "mixed-ownership reform" intended to change these companies' ownership structures and make them more market-focused. One component of mixed-ownership reform includes what ECNS.com in a December 23 article calls "employee stock ownership plans," although such plans are more similar to U.S. employee stock purchase plans and may be restricted to senior employees. China has about 150,000 state-owned enterprises, employing over 30 million people.