PM urges Thanh Hoa to draw investment

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (Photo: VNA)

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc made the statement at an investment promotion conference in Sam Son city on May 18.

He said that the Government will provide opportunities for Thanh Hoa to become an exemplary locality to achieve its investment targets.

The PM described Thanh Hoa as a miniature Vietnam, with a dynamic economy full of potential.

He urged the locality to improve the investment environment to ensure equality for businesses, and provide land in an effective manner.

He agreed with local plans to develop oil refining, aquatic processing, and tourism.

The PM suggested studying developing hi-tech agriculture and focusing on products with high economic value.

He encouraged businesses to invest in agriculture, services and infrastructure while diversifying services and taking advantage of heritage sites such as Ho Citadel, Lam Kinh historical relic site, community-based and craft village tourism.

To increase enterprises’ competitiveness and to build a strong business community, the province should train skilled workers and help businesses make long-term investments and join the global value chain, he said.

He also noted that the province could not do business without protecting the environment.

Various Government projects are planned for the province, including the Hanoi-Thanh Hoa-Nghe An expressway and a coastal route to prevent natural disaster.

At the conference, Thanh Hoa granted investment licenses to 32 projects with a total estimated investment of 135.3 trillion VND (equivalent to 6.1 billion USD), mainly in processing and manufacturing.

Earlier, the PM had a meeting with local authorities, during which he stressed that Thanh Hoa is one of Vietnam’s key investment destinations.

The province has eight industrial parks, attracted big companies and deployed policies to lure social investment, he said.

He hailed local efforts to build synchronous infrastructure for investment projects, offer competitive land lease prices and labour costs, and promptly address difficulties for businesses.

Thanh Hoa covers more than 11,000 square meters and has a population of 3.6 million people, ranking fifth nationwide in natural area and third in population.

The per capita average income was 1,620 USD at the end of 2016, the highest level in the north central region. It is expected to reach 1,750 USD in 2017.

The province is striving to record economic growth of 12 percent this year.-VNA