Most central SOEs return to full capacity to fight outbreak

Over 80 percent of China's centrally-administered State-owned enterprises have resumed production as of Wednesday, as part of China's drive to fight the novel coronavirus outbreak while maintaining economic stability, a senior official said.

Zhao Shitang, deputy secretary-general of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, said in supporting industries, such as petroleum and petrochemicals, central SOEs' work resumption rate has reached 97 percent.

"The rate for central SOEs operating power generation and power grid businesses amounted to over 83 percent," he said. Judging from the current situation, he said, some essential industries involving central SOEs, including coal production, oil and gas, communications, food and living material supplies, have no problem either resuming production or raising work efficiency.

To better support frontline medical teams and workers, as well as meet domestic demand, Zhao noted central SOEs' production capacity of medical protective clothing will be raised from 20,000 sets per day at present to 40,000 sets per day on Friday. Their daily production capacity of facial masks is expected to reach 1.6 million by the end of this month.

China currently has 96 central SOEs. They have played an essential role in assisting the government in producing materials for epidemic prevention and control, building medical infrastructure and other supporting infrastructure facilities and supplying food, power and enhanced communication networks in Wuhan of Hubei province, epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak.