Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc chairs a regular cabinet meeting in Hà Nội on Tuesday. VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

HÀ NỘI – Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc told a cabinet meeting in Hà Nội on Tuesday that positive results over the past 10 months had created an important foundation for production capacity and sustainable growth.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment reported that so far this year, the macro-economy had remained stable and inflation had been curbed. 

The average consumer price index (CPI) from January-October expanded by 2.48 percent compared to the same period last year, showing the lowest growth for the past three years.

The number of newly-established businesses in the 10 months rose with average registered capital of VNĐ12.5 billion (US$538,182) each.

In October, the country welcomed over 1.6 million international tourists. The number of foreign visitors rose 13 percent year-on-year in the first 10 months, the ministry reported.

Besides these achievements, the PM pointed out slow improvements to the business environment. He noted that in 2019, the country dropped one place to the 70th in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings. 

He asked ministries, departments and localities to pay more attention to addressing this matter in the final two months of the year, while preparing to attract major investors and high-tech firms in the context of investment flows due to shifting global trade tensions.

Mentioning the UK lorry tragedy which has caused great public concern, PM Phúc extended his deep condolences to the bereaved families, and directed ministries, departments and localities to spare no efforts to protect citizens.

He highly appreciated the UK's effective co-ordination with Vietnamese agencies to address the serious incident.

The PM added the Vietnamese delegation was co-operating with UK agencies to confirm the victims' identities.

The PM described the incident as a lesson for ministries and localities in management, and reminded them of the existence of trafficking rings.

He also spoke of the successful participation of a high-level Vietnamese delegation that attended the recent 35th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Thailand.

Phúc said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) reached a consensus on the regional situation, especially the East Sea, as well as the implementation of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the maintenance of peace, security, safety, and freedom of aviation and navigation in the East Sea.

As chair of ASEAN in 2020, Việt Nam needed to promote the central role of ASEAN and increase the bloc’s position in the region and beyond, he said. — VNS