SOEs playing big role in improving livelihoods

Serving as a strong force expanding the nation's global cooperation footprint in fields such as infrastructure, State-owned enterprises have also been working hard at home to improve livelihoods, boost rural vitalization and link remote areas.

Among them, China Construction First Group Corp, a unit of centrally administered China State Construction Engineering Corp, is working with Zhaotong, Yunnan province, to promote the well-being of the city's residents.

Yin Liang, the project manager, said while helping the local government relocate people from mountainous areas in Zhaotong to neighboring Jing'an New District, its team played a major role by providing better housing for those who were relocated.

CCFGC completed 33 buildings in 173 days, and readied new apartments catering to some 11,720 households.

"It's beyond my imagination that I am moving to such a good apartment at my age," said a 75-year-old resident.

To realize faster progress, Yin said he and his team barely rested, even during holidays.

Seven schools now stand in the new district — from kindergarten to senior high — providing quality education for some 20,000 students.

The company also carried out a series of voluntary activities, such as donating books and giving free lectures, to promote students' wellbeing.

"These kids remind me of my own. Their smiles can immediately remove all my anxiety," Yin said.

In addition, Yin and his team are currently building a new hospital, which will be equipped with 400 inpatient beds. And the land reclamation and reservoir projects they are working on are on track for timely completion and will boost local agricultural productivity, as the projects are expected to create 654 hectares of new farmland and provide water for around 65,000 households.

More job opportunities will also accompany the projects. The company cooperates with the local government to provide jobs and free training for over 2,800 local people, increasing their monthly incomes by two to threefold.

Wang Xiaoguang, director of the Beijing Rongzhi Corporate Social Responsibility Institute, said fulfilling social responsibilities will not only help companies meet expectations from both the government and society, but also significantly contribute to the companies' growth and competitiveness.

China Railway 24th Bureau Group Corp, a unit of China Railway Construction Corp, said in December that its construction workers are approaching completion of redeveloping Pengyi Community — where over 2,100 residents will eventually resettle. The SOE said it is also engaging in other such projects in Shanghai, with its builders recently kicking off redevelopment of Fangualong Community.

"State-owned enterprises must give full play to their strengths. They should make more efforts to help address the country's unbalanced and inadequate development, and contribute to the shared prosperity of all Chinese people," said Peng Huagang, chief expert of the China Enterprise Reform and Development Society.

Yin added that he and his team will carry out more projects to protect people's livelihoods and promote rural vitalization. They will continue to improve the local living environment, as well as access to quality healthcare and education.