Directive issued to fuel development of border areas

Border guards of the Vung Ro Port Border Gate, Phu Yen province, in a border patrol (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hasissued a directive on the attraction of social resources for performingsocio-economic development tasks in land, sea, and island border areas intandem with firmly safeguarding the national sovereignty and improving people’sliving standards.

Directive 07/CT-TTg stated that land, sea, and island borderareas hold critical importance in terms of national defence and security. They alsohave conditions and basis to create momentum for socio-economic development inthe time ahead as there remains much room and potential for development inthese areas.

A view of Nam Nhun township in the border district of Nam Nhun, Lai Chau province (Photo: VNA)

The PM requested ministries, sectors, central agencies, andlocalities to carry out some relevant duties and solutions such as issuingmechanisms and policies on investment in border areas and improving investment effectivenessthere, increasing investment in the border areas included in the planning of economic– defence zones, strictly managing cross-border economic activities andpolicies, and publicising topographical and administrative maps of borderareas.

He also told the Ministry of Planning and Investment tocoordinate with related ministries, sectors, and localities to make annualassessments of the directive implementation and report to the PM.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defence was assigned towork with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant ministries and sectorsto continue negotiating with China and Cambodia to address pendingissues related to land, sea, and island borders.

A terraced rice field in the border district of Muong Te in Lai Chau province (Photo: VNA)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was also tasked with directing andinstructing related localities to effectively carry out the documents guidingthe implementation of the legal documents on the Vietnam – China, Vietnam – Laos,and Vietnam – Cambodia land borders, along with the relevant legal documents onsocio-economic development, defence – security enhancement, and externalaffairs in the provinces having land borders.

Besides, the PM asked the localities with land,sea and island border areas to prioritise capital for building infrastructurein those areas, especially trading and transport infrastructure; provide preferentialtreatment for businesses which make investment, expand operations, and diversifygoods sources for cross-border export and import; and create the best possibleconditions for local residents' cross-border trading./.

VNA