China Unicom deepens reform

Robin Li, CEO of Baidu Inc, will shoulder a new role as a board member at China United Network Communications Ltd, or China Unicom, the country's second-largest telecom carrier by subscribers.

The move is the latest push by China Unicom to deepen its $11.7 billion mixed-ownership reform, and signals the country's determination to rejuvenate State-owned enterprises with innovation and brainpower from private companies, experts have said.

Fu Liang, an independent analyst who has been following the telecom sector for more than 15 years, said that among China Unicom's 13 new board members, four are from the private sector, which is beyond many people's expectations.