The voice of the Communist party has defended the role of the state in China’s corporate sector, saying that government-owned companies are globally competitive and pay important dividends to the country. 中共喉舌《人民日报》(People’s Daily)刊文，捍卫国家在中国企业部门的角色，称国有企业具有全球竞争力，并向国家上缴大笔红利。

　　In a front-page article about the “new look” of state-owned enterprises, the People’s Daily said they were the backbone of the Chinese economy and stronger than at any point in the past two decades. 《人民日报》在其头版关于中国国有企业“新姿”的文章中表示，国有企业是中国经济的支柱，比过去20年间任何时候都更加强大。

　　Highlighting the debate under way over how China managed its companies, the article implicitly pushed back against Chinese officials and international institutions such as the World Bank that have called for market reforms to weaken government control of the energy, telecommunications and financial industries. 这篇文章凸显出目前就中国如何管理其企业展开的争论，含蓄地反击了中国官员与世界银行(World Bank)等国际机构的呼吁，即实施市场化改革，弱化政府对能源、电信以及金融行业的控制。

　　“In the past we pursued pure socialism the more state ownership, the better. Later on we brought in more diverse forms of ownership (including the private sector). But the state-directed economy still plays the largest role,” Shao Ning, deputy director of Sasac, the government agency that manages the biggest of the state-owned companies, told the People’s Daily. 国资委副主任邵宁对《人民日报》表示：“过去，我们追求纯而又纯的社会主义，以为国有企业越多越好。后来确立了公有制为主体、多种所有制共同发展的方针，但国有经济仍是绝对的大头。”国资委是政府机构，负责管理最大型的国有企业。

　　The World Bank last year published a report recommending that Beijing reduce the size and power of China’s state sector and force state-owned companies to operate in a more competitive environment. 去年，世界银行发布了一份报告，建议中国政府削减国有部门的规模和权力，迫使国有企业在更具竞争性的环境中经营。

　　That report was co-authored with the Development Research Center, a think-tank under the cabinet, and was signed off by Li Keqiang, the man who became China’s premier in March. 这份报告由世界银行与中国国务院下属智囊团国务院发展研究中心(Development Research Center)联合撰写，并经李克强认可。李克强自今年3月起担任中国总理。

　　Observers believe Mr Li wants to relax the state’s grip on the corporate sector. In remarks over the weekend he said the government must pursue more market reforms to create an “upgrade version” of the economy. 观察人士认为，李克强想要放松国家对企业部门的控制。在上周末发表的讲话中，李克强表示，政府必须推进市场化改革，打造中国经济“升级版”。

　　China has also started to experiment with the introduction of private investment in energy and finance, which have long been dominated by the state. Blocks for shale-gas exploration were opened to private companies last year. The government also introduced a pilot project last year to allow private groups to form bank-like institutions in the city of Wenzhou in eastern China. 中国还已开始试验在长期以来由国家主导的能源与金融领域引进私人投资。去年，页岩气勘探对私人企业解禁。去年中国政府还推出了试点改革，允许私有企业在中国东部的温州市组建类似银行的机构。

　　However, the front-page article in the People’s Daily is an indication of the conservative forces that oppose change. 不过，《人民日报》的头版文章表明，有保守势力反对改革。

　　“On the one hand we are counting on government officials to make the reform plans. On the other hand government officials are the key obstacles,” said Gary Liu, deputy director of a Shanghai think-tank under the China Europe International Business School. 上海中欧国际工商学院(China Europe International Business School)下属的一家智囊机构的副院长刘胜军(Gary Liu)表示：“一方面，我们指望政府官员制定改革计划。另一方面，政府官员是最关键的障碍。”