The National Development and Reform Commission, the top economic planner, has decided to further deepen pricing reform in monopolized industries, such as electricity, natural gas and railways, as the central government looks to perfect its market-oriented pricing mechanism by 2020.

China will improve trading rules and regulations for the electricity market, deepen the market-based reform of natural gas prices for nonresidential users, and accelerate construction of natural gas trading centers in Shanghai and Chongqing, Hu Zucai, vice-minister of the NDRC, said on Friday.

A favorable pricing policy environment will be created to attract social capital to projects related to railway construction and operation, he added.

According to the commission, efforts will be increased to promote market-oriented pricing reform, improve supervision and allow the pricing mechanism to guide resource allocation in order to achieve high-quality, efficient, fair and sustainable development.

The regulator has said it will focus on several fields, including monopolized industries, public utilities and services, environmental protection and agriculture, and will regulate the pricing mechanism based on the principle of "costs plus a reasonable return".

Work safety problems found in site checks

Inspectors from the State Administration of Work Safety spotted 1,742 potential risks in various industries during a review of production safety last month.

Thirty-one teams carried out evaluations at 800 companies in 31 provinces and regions.

As a result, 26 enterprises were forced to cease production until adequate work safety facilities were installed, and five were ordered to close permanently.

The administration has urged all provincial-level governments to strengthen work safety to further prevent accidents.

Returnees face no work restrictions

The State Council's Overseas Chinese Office has said there are no policies or regulations restricting overseas Chinese who return to the country to live or work.

The office received a question on its website from a netizen who asked where they could find policies and regulations regarding people who have settled overseas but retained Chinese citizenship, and whether they would encounter any restrictions in finding a job, such as doctors.

In response, the office said detailed information can be found at chinaqw.com, but added that there are no work restrictions for overseas Chinese. Someone can work as a doctor in China as soon as he or she has obtained the necessary qualifications, it said.

zhangyue@chinadaily.com.cn