Regional connectivity needed in economic restructuring

Hanoi (VNA) – Regional ​linkage in the economic restructuring and growth model shifting in Vietnam was spotlighted at a workshop in Hanoi, on April 3.

Head of the Party Central Committee’s Economic Commission Vuong Dinh Hue said that the region economic and connectivity issues have received due attention from the Party and State since the 8th National Party Congress.

A political report delivered at the 12th Party Congress in January stressed the need to promote each region’s potential and strengths with a priority to developing key economic areas to create motivation for others.

Since 2000, the Government and Prime Minister have issued a lot of relevant documents and region-related issues have been included in socio-economic development orientations, economic restructuring and growth model shifting, Hue stated.

Regional economic development has yet to be fully understood as a natural rule of the market economy and a foundation for sustainable socio-economic growth.

Development gap between regions has yet to be narrowed, regional connectivity among cities and provinces remains weak, and value chains of intra-regional and inter-regional economic connectivity are still absent, he noted.

Therefore, it is a must to clarify the role of the State in zoning and building development plans for economic regions, and discuss mechanisms and policies to address regional economic development-related issues in line with climate change adaptation and natural resources protection, he said.

German Ambassador to Vietnam Carl Georg Christian Berger pointed out that strong regional coordination will help localities address issues out of their reach and contribute to the country’s socio-economic development.

It is necessary to see the regional connectivity process as a chance for localities and regions to work together to boost economic development and protect the environment, he added.

Victoria Kwakwa, World Bank Country Director for Vietnam, affirmed that the bank will collaborate with international organisations and the Vietnamese Government in promoting regional development and regional coordination in Vietnam.

On this occasion, development partners in Vietnam had a joint statement backing an initiative to foster regional coordination in Vietnam initiated by the Party Central Committee’s Economic Commission and the Government.

According to participating delegates, region-level urgent issues that cannot be handled by each locality include climate change and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta, drought and water resources management in the Central Highlands, forest management in the northern region, and infrastructure upgrade and pollution and investment management in the western central region.

They emphasised the need to build and issue a socio-economic development strategy for each region to make it a foundation for localities to build their own strategies.

For key economic zones, participants proposed promulgating policies to boost competitiveness with economic centres in ASEAN, Asia and the whole world.

Jointly held by the Party Central Committee’s Economic Commission, the German Embassy in Vietnam and the Coordination Committee for the Central Coastal Region, the event aimed to collect ideas and recommendations on regional economic and regional connectivity development to facilitate the implementation of the 12th National Party Congress resolution in the next five years.-VNA