Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính gives a speech at the conference in Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu Province on November 26. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

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BÀ RỊA-VŨNG TÀU — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính stressed the need for a new mindset, new breakthroughs and new values to promote the development of the southeastern region while chairing a conference in Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province on Saturday.

The conference on the Government’s action plan for implementing the Politburo’s Resolution No 24-NQ/TW, issued on October 7 this year, on boosting socio-economic development and security in the southeastern region by 2030, with a vision to 2045, attracted more than 1,000 participants, including Deputy Prime Minister Lê Minh Khải, officials from ministries, localities and industry business groups, and local and foreign investors.

In a resolution to approve the action plan, the Government has set 19 targets, including some for 2030 such as average annual GRDP growth of 8 - 8.5 per cent from 2021, per capita income of VNĐ380 million (US$14,500), services accounting for 41.7 per cent of the economy, industry and construction for 45.3 per cent, digital economy for 30-35 per cent, and an urbanisation rate of 70 - 75 per cent.

The action plan targets strengthening of linkages between industrial parks and export processing zones in the southeastern region, developing the region into a financial, commercial, services, and international exchange hub in Southeast Asia, developing Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu into a national marine economic centre and HCM City into a core of the region, with a focus on high-quality services and the presence of major international financial institutions and economic groups.

Speaking at the conference, Chính applauded the achievements of the southern localities, saying the region is the largest contributor to the country’s GDP and has the highest per capita income and lowest poverty rate, highest government revenues, largest number of enterprises, the highest foreign direct investment, and highest average life expectancy.

But the prime minister also pointed out the shortcomings and limitations that affect the development of the region, including poor and inconsistent regional and inter-regional infrastructure network, a lack of mechanisms and policies, shortage of quality human resources, and impacts of climate change.

The region should adopt the motto “new mindset - new breakthroughs - new values” to develop, he said.

A “new mindset” means localities should become self-reliant, develop an independent economy that extensively and substantively integrates into the world and have people-based approaches when it comes to issues affecting all people.

“New breakthroughs” mean they should devise breakthrough mechanisms and policies.

“New values” refer to the need to achieve faster growth, contribute more to Government revenues, further increase per capita income, build the best possible infrastructure facilities to connect localities in the region, and link them with the rest of the country and with other countries.

The prime minister said: “The southeastern region must take the lead in the country for green, inclusive and comprehensive development... The region's development makes an important and effective contribution to building an independent and self-reliant economy, socialist-oriented market economy and a strong and prosperous Việt Nam with happy and prosperous people."

Various ministries, sectors and localities presented programmes for implementing Resolution No 24 and introduced projects that required investment.

Some international organisations and industry trade groups also spoke about investment cooperation to boost infrastructure connectivity, attracting of public attention to development cooperation and the potential and opportunities for green economic cooperation.

Nguyễn Văn Thọ, chairman of the Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu People’s Committee, spoke about the province’s initiative to form a free trade zone associated with a deep-water seaport in the Cái Mép Hạ area and develop into a world-class tourism hub following the Politburo’s Resolution No 24-NQ/TW.

He also suggested how to achieve the targets set under Resolution 24, including prioritising resources for upgrading and completing infrastructure, with a focus on intra-regional transportation projects such as the Biên Hoà - Vũng Tàu expressway, roads connecting Long Thành international Airport, the coastal road system going through Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu, and Côn Đảo Airport.

Early completion of zoning plans for the region is imperative to ensure the overall benefit of the region and country, he said.

“The master plan must clearly identify outstanding competitive advantages and the role of each locality to avoid conflicts of interest that weaken the region's competitive advantages.”

Besides, devising breakthrough solutions to effectively implement the marine economic development strategy is also a must, he said, adding that the region needs to have a new approach in cooperation in training and attracting high-quality human resources.

It is necessary to institutionalise intra- and inter-regional coordination and linkages (with the Mekong Delta, Central Highlands and central coastal regions) that Resolution 24 emphasises to ensure a legal basis for coordination in infrastructure investment and development between localities, allocating resources based on the potential and advantages of each area, avoiding intra-regional competition and squander of resources, he said.

Also at the conference, the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the people's committees of the provinces and cities in the region granted investment registration certificates and signed MoUs for investment cooperation with local and foreign investors for 20 projects with a total investment of US$10 billion and more than VNĐ5 trillion, 10 of them in Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu. — VNS