Directive issued to fuel development of border areas

Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has issued a directive on the attraction of social resources for performing socio-economic development tasks in land, sea, and island border areas in tandem with firmly safeguarding the national sovereignty and improving people’s living standards.

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

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

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

Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defence was assigned to work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant ministries and sectors to continue negotiating with China and Cambodia to address pending issues related to land, sea, and island borders.

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

Besides, the PM asked the localities with land, sea and island border areas to prioritise capital for building infrastructure in those areas, especially trading and transport infrastructure; provide preferential treatment for businesses which make investment, expand operations, and diversify goods sources for cross-border export and import; and create the best possible conditions for local residents' cross-border trading./.