THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND REFORM COMMISSION, China's top economic planner, issued a notice on Sunday allowing salt producers to set the prices of their products from Jan 1. That is part of the ongoing reform of the table salt monopoly system, says Beijing Youth Daily:

In April, the State Council, China's Cabinet, issued a reform plan for the table salt monopoly system, and the NDRC's move is part of that.

Yet while many have expressed their support for the move, some are unhappy with it, because the reform is not what they expected. They say the ongoing reform is too conservative, as it does not break the monopoly but instead aims to "improve" it..