Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính gives instruction at the conference. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

CẦN THƠ — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính on Sunday asked Cần Thơ City to promote innovation, science and technology, green and digital transformation, circular and knowledge economy and consider them the main driving forces for development.

Speaking at a conference to announce the city’s planning and investment promotion scheme for 2021-30, with a vision to 2050, the PM requested the city improve construction and transport infrastructure, connecting the region and the whole country.

The infrastructure would create new development space and motivation, reduce logistics costs, and enhance competitiveness for products and goods, especially fresh agricultural products that need fast transport.

The city should call for a variety of development resources, including State capital, private capital, central, local and loan capital.

One more important work was promoting public-private cooperation, and attracting foreign direct investment through administrative procedures reform and improving the business environment.

The city must effectively deploy specific policies, research and propose appropriate plans to create development resources.

The city needed to conduct site clearance for projects, ensuring that the new places of residence are better or equal to the old ones.

"The biggest issue in implementing the scheme is resources, including internal and external resources, resources from infrastructure development, from public-private partnership, from procedural reform and from solidarity,” said PM Chính.

For the business community and investors, the PM recommended having a long-term, sustainable business strategy, properly implementing investment commitments, and cooperation agreements, and complying with the law.

PM Chính requested concerned ministries to effectively carry out the Party's policies and guidelines, the State's laws, and the direction of the Government and the PM.

All relevant organisations must always resolve recommendations and proposals from Cần Thơ City.

Cần Thơ City’s planning and investment promotion scheme was approved by the PM in Decision 1519/QĐ-TTg on December 2 this year.

To date, PM Chính has approved such a scheme for 32 provinces and cities. Cần Thơ is the 27th locality in the country and the eighth in the Mekong Delta to have its scheme approved.

According to Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Trần Việt Trường, the scheme is the basis, a solid premise for Cần Thơ to expand its vision, accelerate its breakthrough, express the desire to bring the city to new heights.

It also affirms the city’s role as a core urban area of the Mekong Delta, worthy of its potential position.

The scheme aims to make Cần Thơ an ecological and modern city imbued with the identity of the Mekong Delta. It will belong to the group of well-developed cities in Asia, will become a livable smart city in Việt Nam, and the centre and growth pole of the Mekong Delta region.

The important task is to build Cần Thơ as an urban and commercial service centre with high-tech agriculture, education and training.

It must have an infrastructure system that adapts to climate change, meeting the requirements of inter-regional and international transport connectivity.

Trường said that the city leaders would make efforts to direct and always stand side by side to build a friendly, healthy and equal investment environment for businesses and investors to contribute their ideas and implement suitable projects in the city. — VNS