Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính visits students in Lào Cai on Sunday to mark the new academic year. — VNA/VNS Photo

LÀO CAI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính urged authorities of northern mountainous Lào Cai Province to promote border economic development as a breakthrough in the economy of the province and localities in the northern mountainous and midland region.

At a working session with provincial authorities about socio-economic development orientations on Sunday, PM Chính said Lào Cai needs to be proactive in boosting socio-economic development rapidly and sustainably; and maintaining national defence and security, and a borderline of peace, friendship, cooperation and development, contributing to building the traditional friendship between Việt Nam and China.

The PM said Lào Cai should initially focus on implementing COVID-19 prevention and control effectively, creating the best conditions for socio-economic recovery and development; promoting disbursement of public investment capital; implementing national target programmes; developing infrastructure; and increasing digital transformation, green energy and climate change adaptation.

The province was asked to restructure industrial production towards increasing the proportion of the processing industry; effectively promote the restructuring of agriculture; diversify types of services and trade with strengths such as tourism, transport and logistics in couple with financial, banking and information technology services.

PM Chính suggested the province develop high-quality and unique tourism products in connection with its traditional culture.

The province should also pay great attention to planning which is considered a key mission and promptly complete the planning of Lào Cai for the 2021-2030 period with a vision towards 2050, contributing to finalising the national and regional planning systems, he said.

He also instructed Lào Cai to mobilise all resources for development, raise effectiveness in attracting and using investment capital, speed up administrative reform and continue to improve the investment and business environment and enhance corruption prevention and control.

Speaking highly of the province's socio-economic development, PM Chính said Lào Cai is a mountainous and border area with the potential to become a centre of the northern mountainous and midland region as well as a centre connecting trade exchanges between Việt Nam and ASEAN countries with the southwestern region of China.

As one of the six poorest localities in 1991, after 30 years of continuous efforts, Lào Cai has developed into one of the top 14 localities in the northern mountainous and midland region.

The province posted an average annual economic growth rate of nearly 10 per cent during the 1991-2021 period. The rate of poor households dropped from 54.8 per cent in 1991 to 5.31 per cent in 2021.

The provincial authorities reported that the Gross Regional Domestic Product in the first six months of the year increased 7.14 per cent, ranking 29 out of 63 localities. The province's State budget collection reached VNĐ6.18 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 16.1 per cent. Industrial growth increased 7.6 per cent in comparison with the same period last year. The province welcomed nearly 3.18 million tourists during the period, a 2.2-fold increase compared with the same period last year.

On the same day, PM Chính visited the Command of Lào Cai Border Guard and some local schools on the occasion of the new academic year. — VNS