City urged to lift industrial efforts

HCM CITY — HCM City needs to do more if it is to spearhead Viet Nam's makeover as an industrialised country by 2020, National Assembly chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung told city authorities during a meeting with them last Friday.

It should focus on resolving difficulties faced by businesses, assisting banks with their debt issue, and generally stabilising the economy, he said.

The city should achieve the targets set in the Politburo resolution related to development orientations and have closer co-operation with other provinces and cities in the country and even in other countries, he said.

NA deputy chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan hailed the city's achievements in socio-economic development, welfare, and political and social security.

While admittedly its economic growth was higher than the national average, its investment in infrastructure has been inefficient, she said.

Le Thanh Hai, secretary of the city Party committee, said HCM City would continue with its measures to assist businesses and facilitate production. The city has determined that its key tasks are limiting inflation, stabilising the economy, and ensuring social welfare, he said.

It has set a growth target of 10 per cent this year, he said. In the first half growth was just 8.1 per cent.

The city administration urged the NA to create a central city authority that would give greater autonomy to city agencies.

It said satellite cities would be created, with power devolved to local authorities.

City officials also sought an enlargement of the People's Council, with the number of members increasing by at least a third. —VNS