A recent series of personnel shake-ups have aroused speculation about reshuffle of China's centrally-administered State-owned enterprises (SOEs).

More than 30 central enterprises should have been regrouped in 2010, which would have reduced the number of king-sized enterprise conglomerates to fewer than 100, according to a restructuring plan worked out by State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) several years ago. However, only seven central enterprises were rearranged last year.

The former head of the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, Fu Chengyu, moved from one leading national oil company to another after being appointed chairman of China Petrochemical Corporation in April. The offshore corporation’s vice president, Wang Yilin, will fill Fu’s post.

In May, Sinosteel Corporation, one of China's largest iron ore traders, appointed Jia Baojun as its new president, replacing Huang Tianwen.

Chang Xiaobing will be internally promoted to chairman of China Telecom, and Wang Xiaochu, the current chairman, will be appointed governor of Yunnan Province, according to news microblogs. There is also talk that China Mobile’s chairman, Wang Jianzhou, will be retiring.

The SOE compression could improve business values and competition among the central enterprises.

The restructuring of China’s SOEs will be more focused on the integration of industry chain, said Zhu Boshan, general manager of Shanghai Tacter Consulting.

China Reform Holdings Corporation Ltd, a capital-operating company backed by SASAC, was founded at the end of last year to fuel the integration of China's SOEs. It will also pave the way for a listing of the central enterprises.

The commission said the new company will acquire and restructure small-scale SOEs that have a low market share and aren’t involved in crucial industries. SASAC will focus on re-organizing large central enterprises to improve their competitiveness in the global market.

一系列密集的人事变动引发了业内对央企重组的猜测。

几年前，国资委就提出，到2010年央企数量将减少至100家以下，其中2010年就会有30多家央企被重组。但2010年，仅7家央企完成重组或者合并。

4月初，中海油总公司“掌门人”傅成玉接替苏树林任中石化集团“一哥”，而现任中石油集团副总经理王宜林调任中海油接替傅成玉。

5月16日，国资委宣布免去黄天文的中钢集团总经理兼党委副书记职务。

近日，微博上有消息称，中国移动董事长王建宙将退休，中国联通董事长常小兵将转任中国电信董事长，而中国电信董事长王晓初将转任云南省省长。

目前央企重组更为关注的是，重组前后能否带来企业价值和竞争力的提升。

上海天强顾问管理公司总经理祝波善预测，“今后的重组将更看重产业链整合的效果。”

早在去年底，“中国国新控股有限责任公司”正式挂牌，为央企改革重组搭建平台，并为央企整体上市铺路。

国资委表示，打算划入国新公司的企业，多数都是不属于关系国家安全和国民经济命脉的重要行业或是关键领域，且规模较小、实力较弱的企业。通过国新公司对中小央企的收编，国资委将可以更加放手地重组资产优良的大型央企，让其更具竞争力。