HÀ NỘI — A recent confidence vote had prompted the Government to try harder to raise its sense of responsibility towards the people and National Assembly, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc said. 

At a monthly Government meeting in Hà Nội on Saturday, the PM acknowledged the efforts of ministers and heads of sectors to meet the expectations of the NA, voters and the public during a question and answer session at the 14th legislature’s sixth session. 

Reviewing the ten-month and October socio-economic performance, he said amid  complicated global developments, many countries and international organizations had acknowledged Việt Nam’s stature, achievements and development potential, giving Việt Nam the chance to seek and expand in more markets. 

In the past ten months, the macro-economy remained stable with consumer price index growth at 3.6 per cent. Export value was equivalent to the 2017 total at nearly US$200 billion, up over 14 per cent. The trade surplus reached $6.4 billion. 

There were about 110,000 new businesses registered nationwide, which brought the country closer to the goal of having 130,000 new firms this year, while total retail revenue increased by 11.4 per cent.

The number of foreign tourist arrivals grew by 22.4 per cent. Pointing to shortcomings in the economy, PM Phúc said the country had dropped off in the business rankings.

He asked ministries and agencies to prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, otherwise the country would lag behind. Hà Nội, HCM City and major cities should take more drastic measures to develop business and production, he said. 

The leader also expressed concern about social order and safety in some localities, and instructed drastic measures to be taken to fight crime. 

Concluding the meeting, he instructed ministries and sectors to work on solutions to address problems that were dragging on the country’s business environment and competitiveness.  

“We will fail without innovation,” he said.

He also highlighted the slow disbursement of public investment, saying that besides obstacles in terms of institutions such as the Law on Public Investment, shortcomings in management work were another reason, such as slow capital allocations by some ministries and weak guidance from many local administrations. 

The PM reminded ministries and sectors not to be complacent about their socio-economic achievements in the past 10 months. He stressed the need to boost exports, especially farm produce.  

He also instructed the government to prepare for the implementation of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).Regarding the drafting of a decree for the enforcement of the Law on Cyber Security, the PM said the work should be done in an open and transparent manner, adding that relevant organizations could be invited to give opinions in the spirit of protecting national security and safety, while ensuring human rights and citizens’ rights.

Regarding tasks for the remaining two months of the year and 2019, PM Phúc said the Government gave priority to maintaining macroeconomic stability, controlling inflation and facilitating investment and business. 

He asked the Ministry of Planning and Investment to research and develop plans to improve the country’s business environment ranking. 

Just before the meeting, the PM handed the State President’s decision to appoint Minister of Information and Communications Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng to the minister. 

On July 25, the PM signed Decision No.900/QĐ-TTg on assigning the position of Acting Minister of Information and Communications to Major Gen Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng, member of the Party Central Committee, president and chairman of the military-run telecom provider Viettel.  — VNS