The Ministry of Finance issued a circular on Oct 12 to promote the public-private partnership (PPP) model in the public service sector.

In waste and sewage treatment with positive cash flow and high marketization, PPP should be a required choice for new projects, and the central government will gradually reduce or even cease fund support.

In other fields that are also supported by the central budget, the model should be encouraged and tried after assessment, if cash flow and operational conditions permit, said the document.

Financial departments at all levels should facilitate the participation of various social capital in the sector, and create a level playing field for companies with different ownerships, including State-owned, private, mixed-ownership and foreign enterprises.

PPP projects with discriminative treatment of private capital will no longer receive financial and policy support from local governments, said the document.

According to the circular, PPP projects in public services and industrial development should be strictly separated, and a local list should be set up based on the PPP information platforms.