BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The overall debt level of China's centrally administered state-owned enterprises (SOEs) is under control and in steady decline, the country's state assets regulator said here Saturday.

Xiao Yaqing, head of State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), made the remarks Saturday at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual legislative session.

The debt level of Chinese central SOEs has been effectively controlled over recent years, with the average debt-to-asset ratio at 66.3 percent at the end of 2017, 0.4 percentage point lower from a year ago, according to Xiao.