My Tho City in Tien Giang Province (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) - Provinces andcities in the Southern Key Economic Region should strengthen their linkages toenable the region to capitalise on its development potential, a recent seminarheard in HCM City.
The region, which consists of a city and seven provinces – HCM City, Tay Ninh,Binh Phuoc, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Long An and Tien Giang- plays an important role in the country’s economy, accounting for morethan 42 percent of GDP, 40 percent of exports and more than 60 percent of taxcollections.
Nguyen Thanh Phong, chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee and chairman ofthe Southern Key Economic Region Council for 2016, said the regionwas also the pioneer in industrial and services development, especiallyhigh-tech, electronics, oil and gas, tourism, telecom, finance and banking,commerce, and logistics.
In 2001-15 the region consistently grew at 1.5 times the national average, hesaid.
However, the development fell short of potential since the growth qualityremains unsustainable while human resource quality is low, he said.
Beside, its infrastructure development has not kept pace with development, andthere is a lack of co-operation between its component localities, he added.
Assoc Prof Dr Nguyen Van Phuc, principal of the HCM City Open University, saidregional connections have been built over the last 10 years, but the linkagesbetween localities in the region remain poor.
He blamed this on thelack of a strong and capable coordinating board that could assess thedevelopment potential of each locality and make a master development plan forthe region as a whole.
Phong said the region council chairman’s rolestops with receiving feedback from member localities and submit to theGovernment.
The Government set up a steering committee for the development of the regionwith former Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai as its head.
But the committee has not convenedany meeting so far while is head has moved to another position and no successorhas been found.
Therefore, feedback from the region no longer reached the Government, he said.
Ngo Dong Hai, deputy headof the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Economics, said “each localityis an independent financial body but assigned common targets such as ensuringgrowth in the economy, production and foreign investment, improving residents’lives and others.”
This will mean overall development trumps local interests, he said.
Specificlegal framework needed.
ProfDr Mai Hong Quy, principal of the HCM City Universityof Law, said to enable the regionto develop as it expects, the Government needs to have a specific legalframework for the region with specific policies related to land use andinvestment attraction.
She and many others urged the Government to increase localities’ share of taxand other revenues to enable them to reinvest and develop.
The Government should allow the region to establish two finance companies tomobilise funds for its development, they said.
They also said the region should focus on improving training to supply to themarket qualified workers meeting international standards.
The region, which consists of a city and seven provinces – HCM City, Tay Ninh,Binh Phuoc, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Long An and Tien Giang- plays an important role in the country’s economy, accounting for morethan 42 percent of GDP, 40 percent of exports and more than 60 percent of taxcollections.
Nguyen Thanh Phong, chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee and chairman ofthe Southern Key Economic Region Council for 2016, said the regionwas also the pioneer in industrial and services development, especiallyhigh-tech, electronics, oil and gas, tourism, telecom, finance and banking,commerce, and logistics.
In 2001-15 the region consistently grew at 1.5 times the national average, hesaid.
However, the development fell short of potential since the growth qualityremains unsustainable while human resource quality is low, he said.
Beside, its infrastructure development has not kept pace with development, andthere is a lack of co-operation between its component localities, he added.
Assoc Prof Dr Nguyen Van Phuc, principal of the HCM City Open University, saidregional connections have been built over the last 10 years, but the linkagesbetween localities in the region remain poor.
He blamed this on thelack of a strong and capable coordinating board that could assess thedevelopment potential of each locality and make a master development plan forthe region as a whole.
Phong said the region council chairman’s rolestops with receiving feedback from member localities and submit to theGovernment.
The Government set up a steering committee for the development of the regionwith former Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai as its head.
But the committee has not convenedany meeting so far while is head has moved to another position and no successorhas been found.
Therefore, feedback from the region no longer reached the Government, he said.
Ngo Dong Hai, deputy headof the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Economics, said “each localityis an independent financial body but assigned common targets such as ensuringgrowth in the economy, production and foreign investment, improving residents’lives and others.”
This will mean overall development trumps local interests, he said.
Specificlegal framework needed.
ProfDr Mai Hong Quy, principal of the HCM City Universityof Law, said to enable the regionto develop as it expects, the Government needs to have a specific legalframework for the region with specific policies related to land use andinvestment attraction.
She and many others urged the Government to increase localities’ share of taxand other revenues to enable them to reinvest and develop.
The Government should allow the region to establish two finance companies tomobilise funds for its development, they said.
They also said the region should focus on improving training to supply to themarket qualified workers meeting international standards.
Nguyen Dinh Trung,deputy director of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Department of Planning and Investment, saidthe member localities should jointly suggest ways to the Government andrelevant agencies to complete land, waterway, railway and air travelinfrastructure in the region.
Dinh La Thang, Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee, said a regional data centre should be established to make iteasy for the region to research and support foreign investors.
In the long run, the Government should have suitable policies fordeveloping the region into an open economic zone, he said.
Itshould review the master zoning and other plans of each locality in the regionto avoid overlaps, he said.
Dinh La Thang, Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee, said a regional data centre should be established to make iteasy for the region to research and support foreign investors.
In the long run, the Government should have suitable policies fordeveloping the region into an open economic zone, he said.
Itshould review the master zoning and other plans of each locality in the regionto avoid overlaps, he said.
It needsto adopt policies to strongly develop localities with great potential to createa momentum for others with less potential, Phong said, adding that China has such a policy.-VNA
VNA
