The report came on the eve of today's extraordinary national holiday marking the 70th anniversary of the defeat of Imperial Japan, which is being celebrated in Beijing as an accomplishment of the Communist Party of China.
No officials of the companies involved are available to comment and no details of the plan have emerged.
The long-rumoured move is a top-down one, ordered by Beijing where the Xi Jinping regime is keen on reforming state controlled enterprises, including mergers to eliminate redundant state-owned entities that compete in identical sectors.
