China is to shake up the state monopoly on production and sale of table salt, dismantling¹ a system that has been in place for more than 2,000 years.

 

中国将改变食用盐生产与销售的国家专营，这将瓦解一项运行了超过2000年的制度。

 

Salt producers will be able to determine their own production scale and market salt directly, rather than selling only to state distributors, while price controls will be scrapped² from 2017, according to a statement by the State Council on Thursday.

 

China's state control over the salt sector³ reportedly began around the seventh century BC.

 

Under current system, Chinese companies are licensed⁴ to produce and distribute table salt and operate under a national quota⁵ scheme.

 

According to Thursday's statement, the government will not approve new producers and wholesalers in the business, but encourage existent entities⁶ to reorganize through mergers⁷ and acquisitions, drawing in private capital.

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