City urged to achieve higher growth by year-end

HCM CITY — HCM City needs to continue mobilising all resources to achieve sustainable growth in productivity, quality, efficiency and competitiveness for the rest of the year, a city official said.

Speaking at the 14th conference of the HCM City Party Committee’s 10th Congress for the 2015-2020 tenure yesterday, Nguyễn Thiện Nhân, secretary of the HCM City Party Committee, said that HCM City continued playing a leading role as the country’s socio-economic, cultural, education, and science and technology hub. 

He urged the city to closely follow the Party’s resolutions and State strategies in implementing its action plans and to take serious measures to achieve its targets.

The meeting discussed a range of socio-economic issues in the first nine months as well as the public investment plan for 2017-2020.

It also focused on assessment of major infrastructure projects that are expected to reduce congestion as well as administrative reform and Party resolutions regarding Party building work, among others.

Speaking at the meeting, Trần Vĩnh Tuyến, vice chairman of the city People’s Committee, reported on socio-economic development in the first nine months, as well as tasks and solutions needed to be carried out for the rest of the year.

According to Tuyến, the city’s Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) reached VNĐ775.874 trillion (US$34.14 billion) or 7.97 per cent in the first nine months, compared to 7.76 per cent in the same period last year.

Total export turnover of the city reached more than US$26.3 billion, a rise of 15.7 per cent over the same period last year, while import turnover reached $31.58 billion, up 16.9 per cent over the same period last year, Tuyến said.

The number of international visitors to the city reached 4.2 million, a rise of 16 per cent compared to the same period last year or 70 per cent of the year’s target of 6 million, he added.

Speaking at the closing session, Nhân, who is also a Politburo member, spoke highly of the city’s efforts in socio-economic development in the first nine months, which delivered outstanding results, including economic growth of 7.97 per cent.

However, the city’s economy also had to deal with long-term constraints, as the business environment and competitiveness had not seen much improvement, Nhân said.

In addition, the city should continue implementing innovative programmes set by city authorities.

Nhân also urged the city to continue its emphasis on a one-stop shop for issuance of certificates for investment registration and business registration, and study one-stop mechanisms for construction permits.

Regarding the mid-term investment plan, the city has achieved certain results, especially for various forms of capital mobilisation, according to Nhân.  

However, for the 2016-2020 period, the city needs to generate investment and mobilise resources for public investment and create a favourable, effective investment environment.

In addition, secretary Nhân emphasised the need to improve infrastructure planning for the city, as most of the plans no longer meet the current situation. The plans must ensure efficiency, with a particular focus on transportation, water supply and drainage, waste treatment, and river bank erosion, he said. — VNS