Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc had a working session with authorities of southern Bình Phước Province on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Apart from agriculture, southern Bình Phước Province needs to promote its role and potential as a big energy centre of the country, said Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc at a working session with provincial authorities on Thursday.

“The province’s breakthrough is in development connection, regional linkage and infrastructure linkage,” he said, noting connection with the southeastern region, particularly connection with Cái Mép-Thị Vải port, as well as airports.

The province holds an important role in creating a new economic corridor between the Southeastern and Central Highlands regions and Thailand and Cambodia. Its Hoa Lư border gate needed to uphold its role as a bridge connecting international tourism routes with neighbouring countries, he said.

The PM also noted that with a large area of forest and agricultural land, the province had a responsibility to protect the ecological environment of the Southeastern region as well as protect and harmonise flows of rivers and water resources for its own development and sustainable forest development.

For further development in the future, the PM suggested the province become a pioneer in the renewal process of the Southeastern region based on the development of smart and organic agriculture with high-quality. The province should be a locality with a large number of famous Vietnamese farm produce, he said.

The province should also mobilise and effectively use resources to invest in infrastructure development, and continue to improve the investment and business environment.

PM Phúc asked the province to stay vigilant against the COVID-19 pandemic by continuing to take preventive and control measures.

Bình Phước is famous as the “capital” of two industrial trees with high economic values – rubber and cashew – with 243,000ha of rubber and 138,000ha of cashew.

The provincial authorities reported that the province recorded an economic growth rate of 7.1 per cent last year. It set an economic growth target of 8.5-9 per cent in 2021. — VNS