1. The nature of management is different: state-owned enterprises have ownership or control over their capital, and the will and interests of the government determine the behavior of state-owned enterprises. State-owned enterprises are the backbone of national economic development and the pillar of Socialism with Chinese characteristics. Central enterprises are enterprises directly under the central ministries and commissions and are truly owned by the whole people. The industries involved must be controlled by the central government, such as Minmetals, China Railway and PetroChina.
2. Subordinate units are different: central enterprises are directly managed by SASAC, and some central enterprise leaders are appointed by the Central Organization Department. Some state-owned enterprises are managed by local governments and are not directly managed by the central government.
3. Different support: The development trend of central enterprises in the future is that their main business is clear and they will basically become leading enterprises in the industry, so they are also strongly supported by national policies and funds. While state-owned enterprises are born in response to the market, although they also have some support, they mainly rely on the support of local governments.