With the fierce and consistent participation, Can Tho City has taken many solutions and activities to remove difficulties for businesses and investors, thus tapping all resources for accelerated development in 2020 and the following years. Mr. Le Quang Manh, Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee, gave an exclusive interview to Vietnam Business Forum on this topic. Ngo Khuyen reports.
Could you please tell us about the implementation of the Politburo’s Resolution 45-NQ/TU on Can Tho City construction and development? How has Can Tho tried to speed up its development in the coming years?
After 15 years (2004-2019) of implementing Resolution 45-NQ/TW of the 9th Politburo, Can Tho successfully unlocked its potential and advantages. Economic indicators picked up, with the gross regional domestic product (GRDP) rising by 7.27% a year, higher than the national average. In 2019, the economic size was 5 times that of 2004. GRDP per capita reached VND88.3 million, 7.1 times higher. The investment fund mobilized was more than VND52 trillion, 7.07 times that of 2005. The economic structure has been shifted toward a desired pattern where the share of service and industry goes up to play a central role and a driving force for Mekong Delta development. The city has also completed the new rural development program.
However, achieved results are not commensurate with local potential and advantages. The driving role of Can Tho City in the region has not spread far and wide. The economic structuring is slow. Socioeconomic infrastructure, especially transport infrastructure, is still limited. In order for Can Tho to develop and become a center and driving force for the Mekong Delta, the city has proposed a number of solutions to the Government of Vietnam: Promulgating a new decree on specific mechanisms for investment, finance, budget and decentralization for Can Tho after the Politburo summarizes Resolution 45-NQ/TW and issues a resolution on Can Tho City construction and development to 2030, with a vision to 2045; focusing investment on transport infrastructure connecting to the Mekong Delta. In the medium-term public investment plan in 2021-2025, Can Tho city has proposed the Government to support the city to invest in some key projects serving the development of Can Tho City and the Mekong Delta; allow Can Tho City to adjust its industrial park development plan in line with local development needs to create a new driving force to ensure a breakthrough, rapid and sustainable development of the city; approve O Mon Thermal Power Plant II Project in O Mon district.
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, in the first six months of 2020, Can Tho City witnessed many low economic growth indicators. What tasks and solutions will the city focus on in the last months of 2020 to successfully realize its next target plan?
The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, drought and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta have made it difficult for Can Tho City to achieve its goals, targets and tasks set for 2020. In the first six months of 2020, the city did not experience negative growth but the GRDP growth was low, rising just 1.43% as compared to the initial target of 7.82%. After the social distancing was eased, economic sectors started to revive. With a drastic direction from the central government through its support packages for businesses and people, and the active direction of all-tier authorities, its business development has improved. In June 2020, newly established companies increased significantly. The number of newly registered companies rose by 94% over April and 44% over May. The number of suspended enterprises meanwhile declined 49% and 23% versus April and May, respectively.
To realize its plans, the city will focus on the following key solutions in the last six months of 2020:
- Controlling the pandemic, strictly checking quarantined/isolated cases to prevent public contagion; providing timely information, strictly punishing deliberate information falsification that messes up public opinions.
- Thoroughly grasping and carrying out the Politburo’s Conclusion 77-KL/TW dated June 5, 2020, the Government’s Resolutions 01, 02 and 84/NQ-CP, Resolutions of the City Party Committee and City People's Council, the Prime Minister’s Directive 11/CT-TTg dated March 4, 2020, and Directive 19/CT-TTg dated April 24, 2020; the Prime Minister’s Conclusion on the meeting with businesses.
- Proposing the Government, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the General Department of Customs to boost exchanges and settle problems in goods clearance for convenient export of goods and import of inputs for production.
- Launching solutions to boost social demand.
- Effectively implementing the Government's social security policies, ensuring right policy beneficiaries; reviewing and cutting recurrent expenditures, generating more funding for social security policies, stimulating local consumer demand.
- Strengthening national defense, security, foreign affairs, international integration.
- Promoting disbursement of public investment capital.
- Carrying out support policies for enterprises affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; removing difficulties, fostering production, business and economic recovery solutions in the coming time.
- Reforming administrative procedures, creating favorable conditions for people and businesses.
Can Tho's PCI in 2019 was 68.38 points (highest ever), demonstrating its efforts to improve business environment and competitiveness in recent years. So, how will Can Tho City further improve the investment and business environment?
Improving the investment and business environment and creating favorable conditions for investors and businesses is one of key tasks of the municipal government. Right from the beginning of the year, the city issued Action Plan 22/KH-UBND dated February 11, 2020 to carry out the Government's Resolution 02/NQ-CP and raise its Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) in 2020 and 2021. The city government has assigned 23 key tasks and 33 specific jobs to relevant agencies and district authorities.
After the social distancing was eased, the City People's Committee held a business meeting to learn about hardships, proposals and recommendations of local businesses to have best solutions. The city government has directed and requested leaders of departments and agencies, chairpersons of District People's Committees to urgently review and settle petitions and proposals of enterprises within their jurisdiction.
From now to the end of 2020, the city will focus on directing departments, agencies and districts to implement Action Plan 22/KH-UBND dated February 11, 2020 to implement Resolution 02/NQ-CP of the Government; carry out consistent solutions to maintain and boost PCI scores, further improve the investment climate. The city will focus on reviewing and upgrading the quality of setting administrative procedures, particularly appropriate licenses for organizations and individuals in order to reduce the time that enterprises need to have all necessary licenses to start up their operations.
Source: Vietnam Business Forum
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