'State-owned canteens' enter competition

Some cities are reportedly building so-called State-owned canteens. It seems even local supply and marketing cooperatives are opening convenience stores. These used to be very common in the planned economy era before China introduced reform and opening-up policies. No wonder some people have viewed the "re-emergence" of these units as evidence of the re-introduction of planned economy in the country.

However, this is a "misunderstanding" as an official of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development put it, saying "it is impossible to build a large batch of State-owned canteens, and there are no such requirements (from the higher authorities)".

As a matter of fact, the so-called State-owned canteens and convenience stores of the supply and marketing cooperatives are just neighborhood dining halls meant to cater to the needs of senior citizens living alone, and the small supermarkets are meant for the convenience of people so that they can buy daily necessities near their homes.

As a socialist market economy system is firmly entrenched in the country's functioning, there is no possibility of China going back to the planned economy. The just-concluded 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China vowed to build a high-level socialist market economy system and reform it further. So the socialist market economy will be developed further in the coming five years and beyond.

Therefore, people should repose full confidence in the country's market economy system, and not be misled by speculation.

Even if they are run by grassroots government departments, State-owned dining halls or supply and marketing cooperatives are just not the same thing as what they were before. After all these entities will no longer have a monopoly in their respective fields; instead they will be market players facing competition from privately-owned competitors. And if they want to survive in the market, they have to constantly improve the quality of their commodities and services. It is good to see such government-run canteens and convenience stores appearing in the neighborhoods to make people's lives more convenient and give them more options.

- Beijing News