Under the plan, the region will also serve as an engine to promote international integration, trade and economic cooperation with regional countries, and strengthen national security and defense.
The above plan with several specific targets was discussed and approved by the committee at a conference on January 8 in Can Tho city to review its 2016 task performance, and map out its key missions for 2017.
Deputy PM Vuong Dinh Hue (C) chairs the conference.
The conference, which was under the chair of Politburo member, Deputy Prime Minister (PM) and head of the committee Vuong Dinh Hue, listened to reports on the strengthening of the region’s political system, national defense and security over the past time.
Regarding the region's economy, reports read that the region’s economic growth reached 6.9 percent, higher than the national economic growth of 6.21 percent while most local socio-economic sectors, such as tourism, industry, trade, services, investment, exports and a number of newly-established businesses, education and healthcare sectors saw positive developments. This helped the region’s revenues up by 11.3 percent compared to the set target.
Especially, the committee well completed the assigned missions, bettered the role in coordinating with localities, and served as an important connection between Central agencies and localities to tackle the region’s issues.
The committee also pointed out shortcomings, such as economic growth reaching only 97.9 percent of the set target, a slow pace of agricultural restructuring, a modest amount of foreign investment attracted, low training quality, development of service sector inadequate to the region’s potential, and limited tourism products, to name a few.
In his closing speech, Deputy PM Vuong Dinh Hue spoke highly of the great efforts of ministries, sectors and localities of the region to fulfill their missions.
The Deputy PM asked Mekong Delta localities to well implement the Central- and local-level Party resolutions. He also requested the Ministry of Planning and Investment to draw up a specific road-map for the region’s economic development and to team up with other ministries and sectors to organize conferences with international partners to promote development of the Mekong Delta region.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was asked to take measures to develop such key aquatic products as shrimp and tra fish.
The same day, Deputy PM Vuong Dinh Hue; Deputy Defense Minister, Senior Lieutenant General Tran Don; and leaders of various ministries and sectors made fact-finding trips to Saigon Port, Can Tho-Cai Cui Port under the Vietnam Maritime Corporation and the Mekong Logistics Center Project.
Translated by Mai Huong