The government’s renewed vows to reform its sprawling network of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have been met with a mix of cautious optimism and weary skepticism. While the administration trumpets its commitment to fiscal responsibility and economic modernization, past failures to rein in these often-unwieldy entities cast a long shadow.
With SOEs holding 64.4 trillion MNT ($19 billion) in assets but saddled with a 22.8 trillion MNT ($6.7 billion) debt burden—17.7 trillion MNT ($5.2 billion) concentrated in the top ten companies—the stakes are high.