State-Owned Enterprises and the Autonomy of Environmental Regulation in China: A Case Study of the State-Owned Petroleum Enterprises in China

Huang Dongya & Yang Dali

Abstract: In the process of market transformation and regulatory state formation，the patriarchal relationship between the state and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) has profoundly changed. Focusing on the environmental regulation of the petroleum and petrochemical industry，this paper attempts to reveal the unique challenges faced by China’s regulatory state and the influential mechanisms of SOEs on regulatory autonomy． SOEs can directly make standards, circumvent legal rules，and influence the environmental impact assessment. Compared with private enterprises,  the state-owned enterprises have a more politicized relationship with local governments. Weakening the political identity of SOEs and continuously promoting the rationalization of regulation based on universalism and legalization would benefit the autonomy of the regulatory state in China．

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