General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Nguyễn Phú Trọng pays a visit to Tây An Village in Thái Bình Province’s Tiền Hải District as the Lunar New Year festival approaches. VNA/VNS Photo Trí Dũng |
The General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV), Nguyễn Phú Trọng, has emphasised the need to consolidate public trust to enable the country to push forward.
In an exclusive interview with the Vietnam News Agency on the threshold of the Lunar New Year, Year of the Dog, the Party leader highlighted the country’s outstanding achievements in 2017 and outlined the main tasks for 2018.
He said the fight against corruption had made marked progress thanks to drastic measures in making deeds match words.
Trọng said that last year, many serious cases of corruption and economic crimes involving senior party and goverment officials were discovered and brought to court.
He said that in the first days of 2018, several major corruption cases were brought to trial, demonstrating determination to carry the combat further, leaving no “prohibited zone” in the fight against the evil.
Trọng said the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, the Secretariat and the Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission imposed disciplinary measures on many Party Committees and Party organisations at different levels, as well as on Party officials and members, including those holding high positions, for violating the law.
Tourism boom: About 13 million foreign visitors came to Việt Nam last year. VNA/VNS Photo Trần Thị Thu Hiền |
However, he said, it was even more important to prevent wrongdoings by enforcing regulations, laws and policies.
“Power must be kept within mechanisms,” the Party chief stressed.
He said Việt Nam had fulfilled and overfulfilled all 13 socio-economic targets for the first time in the context of multiple challenges.
Attracting investment: Talking about key tasks in 2018, General Secretary Trọng spoke of the need to create stronger changes in economic restructuring in tandem with growth-model reform. VNA/VNS Photo Lâm Khánh |
The Party leader also recalled outstanding outcomes in external affairs, as reflected through the country’s successful hosting of APEC Year 2017, the 18 high-level visits by Vietnamese leaders to 19 countries - and the country’s attendance at eight international events. In the year, Việt Nam also welcomed 36 heads of state and prime ministers.
Talking about key tasks in 2018, he spoke of the need to create stronger changes in economic restructuring in tandem with growth-model reform; improving productivity and competitiveness, adding that resources had to be allocated and used effectively.
Along with economic development, Trọng said more attention should be paid to cultural and social development and the improvement of people’s living standards.
He also called for more efforts to strengthen the Party and political system, prevent and stop the degradation of political ideology, morality and lifestyle as well as signs of “self-evolution”, and “self-transformation”. VNS