China to transfer SOE stakes to bolster pension system

China is formally pushing ahead with long-awaited plans to use stakes in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to help plug shortfalls in the country's public retirement system. Restrictive investment rules, though, could undermine the effectiveness of the move.  After a two-year trial, authorities are rolling out the scheme countrywide with the release of new regulations governing the transfer of these assets to national and provincial social security funds. Enterprises owned by the…