City and key southern economic region urged to promote vital role for national development

ABO/NDO – Ho Chi Minh City and seven provinces in the Key Southern Economic Zone should continue to uphold their role as the driving force for the country’s development, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (standing) speaks at the meeting. (Photo: VGP)

The government leader made the request whilst chairing a working session of the upcoming 13th National Party Congress’s sub-committee on socio-economic affairs in HCM City on May 7, with the participation of leaders of the southern economic hub and seven other localities in the Key Southern Economic Zone, including Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh, Long An and Tien Giang.

This is the sub-committee’s second working session with the localities concerned to survey the reality in such locales for the construction of socio-economic documents to be submitted to the 13th National Party Congress in the next two years. Earlier, on April 23, PM Phuc, who is also the head of the sub-committee, had his first working session with Hanoi and 12 neighbouring provinces.

Speaking at the session, PM Phuc said that the localities participating in the meeting today are crucial to the region with the leading position, making great contributions to the nation’s growth. The region’s population is at over 20 million people, accounting for over 20% of the country, including 11 million workers, while its labour productivity is 1.8 times higher than the country’s average. Its GDP is also 1.75 times higher than that of the country and the number of enterprises is at 250,000 businesses out of 700,000 nationwide.

PM Phuc pointed out that the main task of the session was to collect information from the local situation, as well as assessments and recommendations for the region’s development in five-year and 10-year periods, with vision to 2045. Based on such information, the sub-committee will analyse and evaluate before developing reports to submit to the 13th National Party Congress, scheduled to take place in the first quarter of 2021.

He asked the delegates to focus on discussing a number of issues, including the highlights of achievements, shortcomings, weaknesses, causes and lessons learnt in the local socio-economic development over the past five years.

For HCM City, the PM urged the city to clarify the promotion of its role as the largest economic centre in the country, concerning the status of local development, urban management, regional association and orientations for future growth.

Concluding the working session, PM Phuc praised the achievements and contributions of the localities in the region to the country’s development. However, HCM City and the other seven provinces still face shortcomings, especially in infrastructure for connection and other socio- economic and cultural issues, even development quality.

The PM also agreed with the suggestions raised at the meeting that actions and thinking must be at a higher level for the region’s development, ensuring consistency and comprehensiveness, especially for the well-being and happiness of the people. Development should be pushed towards environmental protection and green development, with a focus on science and technology in the Industry 4.0 era, as well as institution building and apparatus reform, he stressed.

(Source: NDO)