Party, State leader warns of complacency

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam and President Nguyễn Phú Trọng speaks at the Government’s meeting with localities yesterday. 

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam and President Nguyễn Phú Trọng acknowledged Viet Nam’s 2018 socio-economic development achievements but warned against self-satisfaction at the Government’s meeting with localities yesterday.

Trọng noted the country still faced many difficulties and challenges due to unpredictable regional and global developments and latent risks in the world economy, especially in finance, monetary and exports due to impacts of trade wars, along with problems in the economy and social affairs. 

The Party and State leader underlined main tasks for 2019, including consolidating the macro-economy, controlling inflation, improving capacity to respond to abnormal market developments, maintaining growth pace and quality through the improvement of the business and investment environment, and raising the productivity, quality, efficiency and competitiveness of the economy.

The top leader underlined the need to speed up administrative reform, remove barriers against production and business activities, develop various types of markets, rearrange State-owned enterprises and encourage the involvement of all economic sectors at home and abroad in development investment.

It is also essential to complete socialist-oriented market economic institutions, pay more attention to cultural development and implement social progress and equality in every policy, Trọng stated.

He emphasised the necessity to strengthen defence and security, protect independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation, ensure political security, social order and safety, and step up external relations activities.

He also asked for better building of the Party and political system, as well as better personnel work to choose competent officials to leading positions.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc noted this year’s economic growth rate hit a decade high of 7.08 per cent, with the processing and manufacturing sector expanding by more than 12 per cent. Meanwhile, credit grew by less than 14 per cent, compared to the 17 – 18 per cent in previous years, and the mining industry contracted nearly 4 per cent.

These figures showed the growth model was switching, and the country had recorded improvement in value chains, he said.

Meanwhile, the Party Central Committee’s resolution on the private economic sector was being implemented well, with the sector recording its strongest ever development in the past two years. Additionally, more than 130,000 new enterprises were established and some 34,000 firms resumed operations in 2018, PM Phúc noted.

Deputy PM Phạm Bình Minh attributed these achievements to the Government’s actions under the motto ‘Discipline, Integrity, Action, Creativity, Effectiveness’. 

The Cabinet had taken actions with consistent targets of stabilising the macro-economy, controlling inflation, creating clear and substantive changes in the implementation of strategic breakthroughs, restructuring the economy and reforming the growth model, and improving labour quality and productivity and economic competitiveness.

It had also worked to reform mechanisms and policies to remove obstacles, streamline administrative procedures and enhance the business climate, he said.

However, Minh also pointed out shortcomings of the Government, noting the proposal of mechanisms and policies remained slow, the settlement of policy loopholes had yet to meet expectations and ministries and agencies still lacked co-ordination in resolving inter-sectoral problems.

The shortcomings were attributable to the fact that leaders of some agencies hadn’t been drastic enough in their work and some officials lacked responsibility towards their duties.

PM Phúc said following this meeting, the Government would issue several resolutions so the whole administrative system, enterprises and people could work to accomplish targets set for 2019. 

In 2018, Việt Nam has fulfilled and surpassed all 12 socio-economic targets. The country’s GDP growth rate exceeded 7 per cent, while GDP scale reached US$245 billion, and average per capita GDP rose to $2,580. Exports were valued at $245 billion, up 13.8 per cent year-on-year, posting a trade surplus of more than $7 billion. The consumer price index growth was maintained at 3.54 per cent. The household poverty rate decreased to 6.8 per cent.

Việt Nam remembers just war against genocidal Khmer Rouge

Vietnamese defense officials have reaffirmed Việt Nam was forced to use its just right of self defence in the war against the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime.– Photo baoangiang.vn

Vietnamese defense officials have reaffirmed Việt Nam was forced to use its just right of self defence in the war against the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime.

Speaking at a conference yesterday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the victory (January 7, 1979) over the Khmer Rouge held in An Giang southern province,  Senior Lieutenant General, Deputy Minister of Defence Lê Chiêm, said when Việt Nam launched the attack on the regime, it was purely out of the desire to support Cambodia’s people and its revolution troops.

Chiêm said when Pol Pot’s troops conducted cross-border raids into Việt Nam, massacring civilians and torching villages, Việt Nam was forced to respond by launching an attack in late December 1978 to remove Pol Pot.

The conference would be a good opportunity to remind the country’s national defence staff and the young generation about the integrity of the Vietnamese army during the war against the Khmer Rouge and educate them about the national pride and its desire for peace.

Senoir Lieutenant General Nguyễn Trọng Nghĩa, member of the Military Central Commission and deputy head of the General Department of Politics, said since 1975, the Khmer Rouge conducted many raids into Vietnamese territory where they slaughtered a huge number of Vietnamese civilians. The Vietnamese Party and State had exercised restraint and a policy of peace and friendship but the regime escalated their invasion activities forcing Viet Nam into a defensive war.

On January 7, 1979, the Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation with the support of the people, and the great and timely help of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers overthrew the Khmer Rouge genocidal regime, bringing a bright future to the country.

“The victory was meaningful as we could not only protect our country’s territory, but also save Cambodian people from the genocidal regime, helping them gain back the right to live, to step into a period of real freedom,” Nghĩa said.

Major General Nguyễn Hoàng Nhiên, Director of the Việt Nam Institute of Military History, said the fight against Pol Pot was a necessary and just defence move of the Vietnamese army.

“Many people had different views on this matter, but many also approved of Viêt Nam’s action and condemned the genocidal regime,” Nhiên said.

He said the matter was again confirmed by the convictions given out by the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia for the former leaders of the Cambodia’s Democratic Kampuchea.

HCM City, Japan’s Aichi prefecture boost cooperation

Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong (R) and Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Nagoya city of Aichi prefecture Professor Nagato Natsume (Photo: hcmcpv.org.vn)

Ho Chi Minh City and Japan’s Aichi prefecture should accelerate cooperation in such potential sectors as engineering industry, electronics, information and technology (IT) and plastic chemistry, said Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong.

Hosting a reception for Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Nagoya city of Aichi prefecture Professor Nagato Natsume on December 28, Phong hailed the Japanese locality’s plan to open its trade office in Ho Chi Minh City, open a direct flight connecting Nagoya city with the Vietnamese southern hub, and establish an umbilical cord blood bank at Tu Du hospital.

He said that the move helps bolster trade and cultural exchange as well as develop tourism, particularly medical tourism.

The HCM City leader took the occasion to thank Nagato Natsume, who is also Director of the Japanese Cleft Palate Foundation, for his help for Vietnamese children with cleft palate, blindness and blood cancer. 

He expressed his hope that in the role as the Honorary Consul of Vietnam, Nagato Natsume will continue his efforts to enhance the relations between Vietnam and Japan in general and Ho Chi Minh City and Aichi prefecture in particular. 

The Japanese guest, for his part, said that he will work to enhance and carry out collaborative programmes, especially those in economy, labour cooperation, citizen protection, education and healthcare, between the two localities in an effective manner.

Many Vietnamese students are living and pursuing study in Aichi while the prefecture is in need of young human resources with great capacity to work at its enterprises and factories, he stressed.

Currently, there are some 200 businesses from Aichi investing in Vietnam, and some 23,000 Vietnamese people are working and studying in the Japanese locality.

Foreign service information work contributes to national development

Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education Vo Van Thuong speaks at the conference 

Information work for foreign service has been carried out comprehensively, making significant contributions to ensuring peaceful environment, territorial integrity and international integration for the country.

This was heard at the conference held by the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education in collaboration with the Steering Committee on External Information Work in Hanoi on December 28.

As 2018 plays an important role in realising the resolution adopted by the 12th National Party Congress, the 2016-2020 socio-economic development plan and popularisation work has attained significant achievements, helping raise public awareness on sea and island, land border demarcation and marker planting, and border management while mobilising international support and boosting cooperation with countries sharing borderline with Vietnam, the conference heard.

At the meeting, representatives from ministries, sectors and localities shared experience in external information work and discussed important issues in implementing popularisation mission in 2019. 

Head of the commission Vo Van Thuong said that dissemination work should be carried out in a more flexible manner, meeting demand of different groups of people and localities.

He added that information technology (IT) and modern communication methods must be utilized effectively, particularly to reject wrongful and distorted information by hostile forces and promote the image of Vietnam’s land, culture and people among international friends.

Stressing key missions for 2019, Thuong stated that relevant authorities should get deeper insight into the significance of foreign service information and challenges to carry out the work in the new context.

In addition, they should keep close watch on global and domestic developments to build rational dissemination programmes, he underlined.

At the event, the commission presented merit certificates to 28 agencies, including Vietnam News – the only English-language daily in Vietnam which is an affiliate of the Vietnam News Agency, and nine individuals for their excellent accomplishments in external information work of sea and border-related information in 2018.

Draft resolution for achieving 2019 socio-economic goals announced

At the conference 

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue announced a draft resolution of the Government on key tasks and solutions to achieve socio-economic development goals and State budget estimate for 2019 during a conference on December 28.

The governmental Resolution No.1 was crafted based on 12 major goals the National Assembly assigned the Government to fulfill the next year, Hue said at the video conference between the Government and local administrations in Hanoi.

The resolution sets to raise the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 6.8 percent and keep the Consumer Price Index (CPI) below 4 percent in 2019. The Government also expects to have the total social investment account for 34 percent of the GDP and post 8 – 10 percent increase in export revenue.

The Deputy PM noted that the draft resolution outlines eight groups of key tasks and solutions, comprising 188 specific tasks. Prominent among these are boosting credit growth in tandem with credit restructuring and improving the credit quality, prioritizing loans for key manufacturing sectors, and preventing loan sharks.

The use of e-invoice will be scaled up, particularly in big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The Government is also determined to end power shortage next year.

Furthermore, the resolution highlights the importance of private investment in infrastructure development and fast-tracking progress of major infrastructure projects in transport, electricity and energy. It emphasizes the significant role of cities as an engine of growth for the entire nation, and seeks the expansion of urban development models such as smart city or green city. 

The resolution aims to further develop infrastructure for telecommunication, broadband Internet access and 5G mobile network. It promotes cashless payment and encourages new payment methods, growth of fintech firms, transfer of advanced technology and technological R&D.

Besides, it prioritizes enhancing social welfare with the focus on poverty reduction policies as the Government will allocate greater resources to support people living in remote and disadvantaged areas or ethnic minority communities, and to develop housing for low-income families. 

Vietnam key trade partner of Russia in SE Asia: official

Vietnam has become a key trade partner of Russia in Southeast Asia, which is proved through the results of the two countries’ economy-trade cooperation in 2018, Russian news agency TASS quoted Vyacheslav Kharinov, Chief Representative of the Russian Trade Office in Vietnam, as saying.

Kharinov said the Russia-Vietnam trade revenue strongly surges this year and is likely to surpass the estimate mark of 6.2 billion USD. 

According to statistics of the Russian side, the country’s main exports to Vietnam include foodstuff, accounting for 34 percent, followed by machinery (20.7 percent), nonferrous metal and metallic products (16.6 percent).

Wheat flour topped the lists of Russia’s exports to Vietnam for the first time, hitting 476.9 million USD in the first 10 months, a rise of 2.5 times year-on-year.

Meanwhile, electronic devices, including computers, cell phones and accessories, were Vietnam’s leading export to Russia, making up 60 percent of the total export revenue.

Kharinov affirmed that Russian firms are very attentive to Vietnam’s market, voicing his belief that they will increase their presence in Vietnam over the time.

Aside from foodstuff, businesses from Russia have provided high technology solutions for Vietnamese counterparts in “smart city” building, water filter and treatment, medical equipment using nuclear technology, among others, the official noted. 

He also pointed out some technical and administrative barriers, such as in animal health control and phytosanitary, to be removed to further facilitate the increase of the bilateral trade.