China will split its post authority, or China Post, into two parts in a bid to separate enterprises from government administration, Friday's Oriental Morning Post reported.

Under a plan submitted by the State Post Bureau (SPB) to the State Council, or the Chinese cabinet, China Post will be broken into the China Post Group and the Post Administration.

"This was the goal of the ongoing postal system reform, which has been brewing for about seven years," said Xia Liqun, head of SPB's information center.

If the plan is approved, most staffs of post offices across China will become enterprise employees and the existing SPB will be replaced by the Post Administration with about 1,000 officials.

"The aim of the split is to separate enterprises from government department and build an independent supervision system," said Gu Lianyu, an expert with the China Society of Communications.

The China Post Group will exercise the commercial function of SPB and the Post Administration will supervise China's post business and enterprises and draft related rules, regulations and standards.

"The move was welcomed by both business associations and private companies," said Liu Jianxin, secretary general of the China International Freight Forwarders Association.

(Xinhua News Agency July 9, 2005)