Lai Chau urged to improve business climate

Lai Chau (VNA) - Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked the northwestern mountainous province of Lai Chau to take drastic measures in order to improve its business climate and modernise its infrastructure.

The leader made the request at an investment promotion conference in Lai Chau on April 23, where he said the province should gear towards high-quality agriculture and forestry, and science-intensive and high value-added industries while paying attention to human resource development.

He suggested the province expand its market to adjacent localities to boost export, attract more investments and facilitate enterprises’ operation.

Another important job is to continue improving knowledge for locals, ensuring their livelihoods and social welfare, protecting forests and preserving the locality’s traditional culture, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc said.

The Government will maintain political stability and improve the investment climate to help investors do business in Vietnam and Lai Chau province in particular, the leader promised.

The Party, State and Government consider assisting poor provinces and extremely disadvantaged localities to escape from poverty and spur socio-economic development a top priority, he affirmed.

Investors, for their part, should fulfill commitments they have made before starting their operation in the locality, the PM said.

The Government leader noted with joy investors’ commitment of over 8 billion VND (360 million USD) in investment in Lai Chau made during the conference.

Speaking at the event, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Do Ngoc An pledged to do his utmost to improve the local investment environment and create the best possible conditions for investors to run their businesses in the locality effectively and sustainably.

Businesses will receive investment licences within 20 days from the date their legal dossiers are submitted to the People’s Committee, he said, promising to support investors in land clearance as well as labour and electricity supply.

Covering an area of over 900,000 hectares and with a population of 430,000, Lai Chau is blessed with fertile land, favourable weather conditions and rich natural resources.

Such blessings, together with the Ma Lu Thang national border gate, are advantages for the province in economic development and trading with other localities and foreign countries. However, the locality’s development achievements over the past years have yet to match its potential and strengths.

Since 2004, Lai Chau has attracted a total of 124 projects with a combined registered capital of nearly 205 trillion VND (9.2 billion USD), mainly focusing on hydro power plants, industrial and agricultural production, commercial centres, tourism and health care.-VNA