'Supply-side reform' is buzz phrase at China's annual parliament

Beijing

TO some, it means upgrading China's ubiquitous hole-in-the-wall noodle shops, to others, it is manufacturing high-tech toilet seats.

"Supply-side reform" is the buzz phrase at China's annual parliament in Beijing, picking up on an expression introduced by President Xi Jinping in speeches late last year. Analysts say it refers to the scaling back of the role of government in business to allow market forces greater room to flourish, such as through the restructuring of state-owned companies.

But its exact meaning has been left vague, giving room for the thousands of delegates in parliament to come up with their own interp…