Chinese listed firms are divided into state-owned and non-state-owned enterprises. Cash is an essential asset of a firm. The cash holding level of a company is determined by combining the strategies and financial performance selected by companies in responding to changes in the business environment. There may be differences in cash holding levels and incentives in these firms. This study compares the cash holding levels of state-owned and non-state-owned enterprises in China and analyzes the differences in the determinants affecting each cash holding level. The results of this study are as follows. First, state-owned enterprises hold more cash than non-state-owned enterprises. Second, firm size is positively related to cash holding levels only in state-owned enterprises. Lastly, cash volatility is positively related to the cash holding level, but sales growth is negatively related to the cash holding level in non-state-owned enterprises. The results provide important implications for the cash holdings of Chinese strategies of listed companies. It suggests that agent motives affect the cash holding level of SOE, whereas transactional and precautional motives influence the cash holding level of non-SOE.