PM urges efforts to complete soc
PM urges efforts to complete socio-economic goals
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has required ministries, sectors and localities
to focus on completing all socio-economic targets set by the National Assembly.
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Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc addresses the meeting (Photo: VNA) |
He made the request at a cabinet meeting on July 4 with the online presence of
leaders of all 63 localities nationwide.
The Government leader noted that in the first six months of this year, the
domestic economy maintained good growth with stable macro-economy and controlled
inflation, with the recovery and expansion of many sectors.
However, the PM said GDP growth in the first half of the year at 6.76 percent
was below the target in the most optimistic scenario, which did not show
breakthroughs in general development as well as growth of each sectors.
In the rest of the year, the economy is likely to face many challenges,
especially due to declining world demand that affects the country’s exports as
well as domestic production and business, he said.
He noted complaints that the streamlining of business conditions failed to
produce substantial results, thus obstacles still remain to business of some
sectors and small-and-medium-sized enterprises.
The PM asked leaders of ministries, sectors and localities to identify their
shortcomings and problems to seek effective measures.
He called for the involvement of the whole political system, the business
community and society to work together to make further achievements in all
areas.
According to a report delivered by Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen
Chi Dung, although GDP expansion in the first half of this year was lower than
in the same time last year, it is higher than the figure recorded in the first
half of each year from 2011 to 2017, in the context of growth slowdown in 70
percent of economies around the world, including most developed ones.
Notably, agriculture faced difficulties as a result of the spread of African
swine fever, leading to low growth of only 1.3 percent compared to 3.07 percent
in the first half of 2018, he said.
June’s consumer price index decreased by 0.09 percent against the previous
month, while the average CPI in the first half of the year rose by 2.64 percent
on a yearly basis.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) disbursement in the first half of 2016 is
estimated at 9.1 billion USD, up nearly 8 percent from the same period last
year. As of July 2, the country’s export turnover reached 122.4 billion USD,
while import turnover was 120.8 billion USD, resulting in a trade surplus of 1.6
billion USD.
In the period, the country had nearly 67,000 newly-established enterprises, up
3.8 percent year-on-year. More than 21,600 enterprises resumed operations, a
year-on-year rise of 31.4 percent.
Minister Dung stressed the third quarter is extremely important and decisive to
the growth rate of the whole year.
He asked the agricultural sector to continue taking measures to tackle African
swine fever and recover production.
Localities were required to bring into full play opportunities brought by major
projects in the processing and manufacturing industries.
The minister also underlined the need to step up exports and seek measures to
maintain stability in major export markets such as the US, Japan, the EU, China
and ASEAN by taking advantage of free trade and investment agreements.
With the world economy changing rapidly and complicatedly, the Prime Minister
requested ministries, sectors and localities to stay flexible to deal with
anything.
This was the second government meeting via the e-Cabinet system since its
launched on June 24.
The e-Cabinet system is able to update, store and manage documents for
government meetings, as well as offer electronic voting with digital signatures.
It also sends texts, emails and other notifications to Cabinet members.
The system aims to cut 30 percent of time during Government meetings later this
year, minimise the use of paper documents which will be replaced with electronic
forms, except for confidential matters.-VNA