行业自然垄断环节独立运营与竞争性环节市场化改革:改革历程、现实挑战与战略路径OACHSSCD

The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee explicitly proposed to"advance the independent operation of natural monopoly segments and the market-oriented reform of competitive segments in industries such as energy,railways,telecommunications,water conservancy,and public utilities".This major policy direction provides clear guidance for institutional innovation in China's fundamental industries and offers institutional support for improving the socialist market economy and promoting Chinese modernization.Reforming natural monopoly industries is not only an intrinsic requirement for achieving high-quality economic development but also a strategic response to new challenges in factor constraints,structural adjustment,and risk prevention.As the modern industrial system accelerates its formation,the governance model,ownership structure,competitive landscape,and regulatory framework of these industries are undergoing systemic transformation,calling for institutional innovation to build an efficient,fair,secure,and sustainable governance system.Focusing on two core dimensions—"independent operation of natural monopoly segments"and"market-oriented reform of competitive segments"—this paper systematically reviews China's gradual reform process from the separation of government and enterprises,through the division of regulation and operation,to the deepening of mixed-ownership reform.It reveals how China has progressively transitioned from administrative monopoly to market-oriented governance by balancing public welfare and efficiency objectives through vertical separation,horizontal competition,and regulatory restructuring.Drawing on the reform experiences of the United Kingdom,the United States,and France,this study highlights that major Western economies generally adopted deregulation,vertical unbundling,and the establishment of independent regulatory agencies as their core reform paths,achieving diverse balances between efficiency and public interest.These international experiences offer valuable comparative insights for deepening China's ongoing reform.The study further identifies four key challenges in China's reform process:difficulties in distinguishing between monopoly and competitive boundaries,insufficient regulatory independence in monopoly segments,limited marketization of competitive segments,and coordination inefficiencies following vertical separation.In response,this paper proposes three strategic pathways:(1)establishing a"four-in-one"independent operation system supported by efficiency enhancement,safety assurance,performance evaluation,and regulatory coordination;(2)developing a"four-dimensional"market-oriented reform framework centered on corporate restructuring,market access,competition rules,and policy coordination;and(3)constructing a"three-dimensional"coordination mechanism across industrial,value,and supply chains to achieve organic linkage and dynamic balance between monopoly and competitive segments.Theoretically,this research enriches the institutional analytical framework of natural monopoly industry reform,while practically,it provides a systematic and operable Chinese approach for advancing institutional innovation in key sectors.