HẢI PHÒNG — The northern port city of Hải Phòng has achieved high growth in the first six months of 2018 and is moving towards maintaining its status as third-largest city in the country, an international trade hub and a driving force for national development, according to the head of the city’s People’s Council.

Opening the seventh session of the 15th-tenure People’s Council of the city yesterday, chairman of the council and secretary of the municipal Party Committee Lê Văn Thành said all economic indexes of the city showed high increases that met or exceeded targets. At this pace, the city expects to meet the targets set by the 15th Congress of the municipal Party organisation for the entire tenure.

Attending the session’s opening meeting, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân hailed the fast development of the city, which she said had contributed greatly to national socio-economic development and motivated the growth in the northern coastal region.  

The top legislator highlighted the city’s GRDP growth of 16.03 percent in the first half of the year, which is more than twice the national rate. Hải Phòng also attracted US$1.25 billion in foreign investment in the period. The city’s infrastructure has improved remarkably with many major projects completed and put into use.

However, she said that to further bolster the city’s development, Hải Phòng needs new mechanisms and policies. The NA leader suggested that following the People’s Council’s seventh session, the Party Committee, the People’s Council and the People’s Committee of Hải Phòng should set out to study new solutions to continue driving the city forward.

She urged the municipal People’s Council to be more proactive and creative in its work, especially in conducting supervision, question-&-answer sessions and deciding on important issues.

The NA chairwoman also asked the council to continue to reform the way it works with voters, receives citizens and supervises the settlement of citizens’ complaints and petitions.

She added that the NA always encourages local People’s Councils to observe question-&-answer sessions at the national legislature so that they can draw lessons for their own work.

Chairwoman Ngân emphasised the need for the organisation of votes of confidence for positions elected and approved by the People’s Council. She required the Hải Phòng People’s Council to make careful preparations for this work, adding that the NA Standing Committee will hold a conference to guide People’s Councils at all levels on how to organise mid-term votes of confidence.

The NA leader also called attention to the need for a streamlined and effective political apparatus and reminded the city to pay attention to the training of People’s Council deputies, particularly those who are young and inexperienced.

During the two-day session, the Hải Phòng People’s Council will examine a report of the municipal People’s Committee on the city’s socio-economic and security-defence performance in the first half of the year and tasks and targets for the remaining six months.

The deputies will also give opinions on and approve thematic resolutions on the city’s socio-economic development and a resolution on the council’s supervision programme in 2019.

Also during the session, a number of officials of the municipal People’s Committee will be required to answer questions about issues in areas under their management. — VNS