Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has affirmed that the State economy always plays a key role in the multi-sectoral economy and is an important tool for the State to regulate economic activities.

PM Dung made the statement at the first congress of the Party Committee of the State-run business sector that opened in Hanoi on Nov. 19 with the participation of 318 delegates representing almost 70,000 Party members of the sector.

The PM hailed the results recorded by the sector’s Party members, officials and workers over the past three years.

However, he said, the Party Committee needs to recognise shortcomings and weaknesses, including inefficient business activities, weak competitiveness and slow equitisation of enterprises.

He took the occasion to call on the State-run business sector to enhance Party building work to meet the era’s requirements.

He asked the congress to thoroughly discuss and analyse shortcomings, weaknesses and reasons to have solutions for the next tenure.

The PM said he believed Party members and officials of the sector would enhance solidarity to overcome challenges and strengthen leadership capacity to successfully fulfill the targets set by the congress.

He also hoped that all economic groups, corporations and state banks will unceasingly improve the quality and the effectiveness of production and business activities to match with the key role of the economy.

The two-day congress will focus on discussing political reports and review reports of the Party Committee’s Executive Board during the 2007-2010 term and electing the new executive board for the 2010-2015 term and delegates to the XIth National Party Congress.

The State-run business sector’s Party Committee was set up under the Resolution of the fourth Party Central Committee (10 th tenure) in April 2007. It groups the party committees of economic groups, corporations and major State-run enterprises./.