No, the reason he suggests the government move assets into private hands is because his main thesis for how China can get out of the jam is to improve household

No, the reason he suggests the government move assets into private hands is because his main thesis for how China can get out of the jam is to improve household consumption vis-a-vis growth in household wealth. Not covered in the article I linked in particular, but his main idea is that China has had investment-fueled growth that's no longer sustainable; the foundation for all advanced, post-industrial economies is a robust consumer sector. China's is stunted at best. That's the motivation for transfers, not a productivity argument.