All opportunities should be grasped: minister

Hanoi (VNA) – Optimising all opportunities, even the smallest, to create development breakthroughs is one of the central tasks set for the Ministry of Planning and Investment in 2019, Minister Nguyen Chi Dung has said.

Breakthroughs are necessary to complete the 2016-2020 socio-economic development plan, the official said at a teleconference in Hanoi on January 16.

Vietnam should make thorough preparations for stronger connectivity between domestic and foreign businesses as the country has become an attractive destination for foreign investors, he suggested.

“Vietnam must be consistent in pursuing short- and long-term targets as well as solutions towards development breakthroughs, not only in 2019 but also in the years to come, while also striving for the upper middle-income status, economic prosperity, environmental sustainability, and social equality and progress,” he stressed.

According to the official, the ministry will also focus on breakthroughs in workforce development, especially in the private economic sector, and economic restructuring in tandem with growth model reform and the improvement of growth quality, productivity, and competitiveness of the national economy.

The ministry aims to make marked changes in the structure of each sector as well as the public investment structure, he added, stressing the need to develop the infrastructure system synchronously on the basis of the efficiency of public-private partnerships.

Dung also called for greater efforts to promptly form national innovation centres; step up the operation of innovation networks; promote smart production models for urban areas, green growth, and clean energy; and enhance the country’s resilience and adaptation to climate change.

Localities that play the role of economic locomotives, especially Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, need to make breakthroughs in growth, he said, adding that economic spearheads should be developed based on the achievements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The minister said the national gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 7.08 percent in 2018, in addition to the stable macro economy and controlled inflation amidst the world’s financial and commercial uncertainties, have reflected the resilience of the domestic economy.

Given the opportunities and challenges ahead, Vietnam should be persistent in pursuing its aim of reform, standing ready to cope with fluctuations and consolidate the independence and self-reliance of the economy towards prosperity and sustainability, he said. –VNA