Resolution No. 128/NQ-CP 2020 solutions to step up the development of key economic regions

RESOLUTION

On the tasks and solutions to step up the development of key economic regions

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THE GOVERNMENT

Pursuant to the June 19, 2015 Law on Organization of the Government;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No.138/2016/ND-CP of October 1, 2016, promulgating the Government’s working regulations;

At the proposal of the Minister of Planning and Investment in Document No. 5030/TTr-BKHDT of July 5, 2020.

RESOLVES:

Recently, ministries, ministerial-level agencies and localities in the key economic regions have endeavored and actively coordinated in the implementation of tasks of developing the key economic regions and obtained positive results. The key economic regions have contributed an important part to the national economic growth rate; in the 2011-2019 period, the four key economic regions annually contributed 72.95% on average to the average GDP of the entire economy. The key economic regions have constituted important growth poles, demonstrating their leading role in the whole country as every 1% of the four key economic regions’ growth will bring about 0.61% GDP growth of the entire economy. Prominent are the northern key economic region and the southern key economic region, the GDP of which in the 2011-2019 period represented over 61% of the national GDP, demonstrating as “key of the key regions”.

However, the key economic regions have not yet brought into the fullest play their existing potentials and advantages in order to make full use of development chances and opportunities, and are facing numerous challenges such as the economic growth rate tends to slow down, the industrial production- construction- service ratio of the regions in the national structure tends to rise slowly, the state budget revenue sources remain unsustainable with the revenue sources of a number of localities have still depended on a number of certain branches; the regional coordination mechanism remains inefficient, the mechanism for alignment of sectors and domains is still absent or loose, the alignment and task division among localities in the regions remain unclear, failing to promote the advantages and potentials; the human resources are not yet up to the requirements in the new development situation; the mobilization of resources for completion of infrastructures is limited, particularly traffic infrastructures; difficulty in land fund for development of industrial parks and attraction of large-scale projects; many problems in urban management need to be settled such as population growth pressure, flooding, traffic congestion, residential houses for laborers, environmental pollution, which have affected the business and investment environment of the key economic regions.

In addition, in face of the impacts of pandemic Covid-19, the economic growth, export and import, state budget collection and tourist development…norms at the end of quarter II of 2020 of the key economic regions were lower than those of the same period.

In order to redress the above limitations, to quickly restore and create impetus for economic growth, the Government requests localities in the key economic regions to endeavor with the highest determination to surmount difficulties, promoting to the utmost potentials and comparative advantages, innovations in order to create impetus for the common development of the regions and for the common national development, thoroughly studying the following viewpoints and scrupulously implementing the following tasks and solutions:

I. VIEWPOINTS

1. To renew the innovation thinking, arousing the earnest advance aspiration of the entire regions and each locality, promoting the self-reliance spirit and identifying breakthrough elements in order to advance forwards with fast and sustainable development, making practical contributions to the materialization of development aspiration of the regions and the whole country.

2. To expeditiously finalize the institutions and policy mechanisms on coordination of regional alignment for promotion of proactive and efficient alignment of key economic regions; to promptly report to competent bodies for settlement the difficulties and problems arising in the course of carrying out regional alignment activities.

3. To formulate national and regional planning in the 2021-2030 period with the vision towards 2050, ensuring the long-term visions, the promotion of existing potentials and advantages as well as peculiar alignment characters of each region. To formulate provincial-level planning in the 2021-2030 period with the vision towards 2050 by the method of integrating various planning, demonstrating the leading role of the key economic regions by ways of innovation, non-scattering and non-departmentalist thinking, only thinking of the interests of a locality while ignoring regional elements as well as national elements.

4. To formulate peculiar policy mechanism for mobilization of social resources and allocate appropriate investment resources from state budget sources in the 2021-2025 period for development of infrastructures of the key economic regions, particularly inter-regional traffic and irrigation projects, large-scale important projects with positive widespread impacts, anti-flooding, water storage, alkalinity control facilities adaptable to climate change.

5. To determine branches and fields suitable to the peculiarities and comparative edges of each region, each locality in the regions in order to focus on investment attraction, restrict the scattering and overlapping development as well as inter-regional and intra-regional competition; to avoid dependence on a number of branches and fields with unsustainable development and with no more land for growth. Provinces and cities in the key economic regions should always take the lead in innovation, start-up, application of advanced sciences and technologies and application of new economic development models, demonstrating the leading role and “development nucleus” of the national economy.

6. To heighten the responsibility of ministers, secretaries of provincial/municipal Party Committees, chairmen of Regional Councils, presidents of provincial-level People’s Committees in the intra-regional and inter-regional economic development coordination and alignment. Provinces and cities in the key economic regions should proactively coordinate in boosting the regional alignment; to determine the connective position and role of each locality in a region and between regions and the whole country through appropriate forms of effective and efficient regional alignment and coordination.

II. SPECIFIC TASKS AND SOLUTIONS

1. Regarding the formulation and realization of planning

a/ The Ministry of Planning and Investment:

- To expeditiously submit to competent bodies for approval the regional planning formulation tasks after the competent authorities approve the zoning scheme, which serves as basis for formulation of regional planning in the 2021-2030 period with the vision towards 2050 as provided by the Planning Law.

- To speed up the formulation of directing viewpoints, objectives, development priority orientations and relevant contents and submit them to the National Planning Council in quarter IV of 2020 for promulgation after the competent authorities approve the tasks of formulating the national master plan for the 2021-2030 period, with the vision towards 2050, which serves as basis for the formulation of national planning according to provisions of law on planning; to adjust and supplement planning on industrial parks meeting the development requirements of localities, regions and nation in order to receive new investment waves.

- To guide localities in the key economic regions in formulating and submitting for appraisal and approval the tasks of formulating provincial-level planning, the provincial-level planning in the 2021- 2030 period, with the vision towards 2050 under the condition of organizing the simultaneous formulation of planning for use as basis for the formulation of medium-term and annual public investment plans, the distribution of resources and attraction of investment.

b/ The Ministry of Resources and Environment:

To expeditiously guide the localities in the key economic regions in reviewing and adjusting the land use planning in conformity with the practical demands of localities and regions for efficient land use against waste in accordance with the provisions of land law, planning law and relevant law, submitting them to competent bodies for consideration and decision.

c/ The Ministry of Construction

To propose solutions to the planning, construction and development of big and super-big cities in key economic regions to be modern and worth-living cities of regional magnitude, including solutions to the management of “city-in- city” models, “smart cities”, “green cities”… in association with solutions to the mobilization of non-state budget resources for development investment. To accelerate the completion of National Planning on systems of urban centers and rural areas, Planning on exploration, exploitation and processing of assorted minerals for use as building materials in the 2021- 2030 period, with the vision towards 2050.

d/ The People’s Committees of provinces and cities in the key economic regions

To allocate resources and closely coordinate with ministries, ministerial-level agencies in formulating and submitting for approval the provincial- level planning in the 2021-2030 period, with the vision towards 2050 under the current provisions of law on planning. To scrutinize and propose supplements to the planning on development of industrial parks of a number of localities in the key economic regions with the full occupation of hi-tech parks, efficient land use, being capable of attracting investment, and submit them to competent authorities for consideration.

2. Regarding the mobilization of development investment resources

a/ The Ministry of Planning and Investment

- To study and propose the allocation of appropriate investment resources to the key economic regions, including the state budget in the medium-term public investment plan for the 2021-2025 period. To prioritize the allocation of adequate state capital sources for investment projects in the public-private partnership (PPP) form. To work with donors and international organizations in orientating and prioritizing the attraction of a number of large-scale ODA projects of regional connection for key economic regions.

- To expeditiously coordinate with donors in submitting to the Prime Minister for approval the undertaking on budget support program aiming for sustainable development of the Mekong river delta region to be adaptable to climate change for investment in traffic and irrigation works of regional connection, anti-draught and anti-salinity infiltration projects in quarter IV of 2020.

b/ The Ministry of Finance

- To propose competent authorities to allow localities in the key economic regions to increase over-expenditures in the state budget over-expenditure amounts in order to increase the re-lending level, thereby to acquire additional sources of loan capital for investment in important large-scale projects of localities.

- To propose mechanisms and policies on creation of sources of revenues and appropriate regulating rate in the 2022-2025 period for provinces and cities with central budget regulation ratios in the key economic regions, particularly localities with the “leading role” and big contributions to the national growth.

- To assume prime responsibility for, and coordinate with relevant bodies in, finalizing the regulations on modes of exploitation of infrastructure property; lease of the right to property exploitation, transfer of the right to property exploitation for a definite term; charges for the use of infrastructures, service and public-utility facilities in border-gate areas, post-investment charge levels.

c/ The State Bank of Vietnam

To direct credit organizations to focus on mobilizing idle capital sources for adequate and timely supply of credit capital with reasonable interest rates, assisting enterprises and people in production and business restoration and development, especially investment in projects on promotion of advantages and potentials of localities in the key economic regions.

d/ The Ministry of Transport

To prioritize the allocation of state budget capital sources within the scope of its management for development of traffic infrastructures, speeding up the execution of a number of big projects of intra- and inter-key economic region connection nature.

dd/ The Ministry of Science and Technology

To prioritize the resource assistance for investment in construction of technological nurseries for scientific and technological enterprises in universities, enterprises, industrial parks, economic zones and scientific urban centers in provinces and cities in the key economic regions, which will act as nucleus in scientific and technological application and innovation activities.

e/ The People’s Committees of provinces or cities in the key economic regions

- To mobilize diverse resources, combining the central and local capital sources, stepping up the selective attraction of FDI projects, making full use of ODA capital, private capital and other lawful capital sources for execution of key projects of breakthrough nature, boosting the regional alignment.

- To make the list of investment promotion projects, particularly FDI projects, based on such selection criteria as: having high added value and using high and environment-friendly technologies, high investment results, low land use coefficient, projects capable of high state budget contributions.

3. Regarding the labor training and employment

a/ The Ministry of Education and Training

- To formulate the planning on networks of university and pedagogical education establishments in the 2021-2030 period with the vision towards 2050; to scrutinize and arrange the system of universities in each key economic region; to link universities with research institutes, enterprises, market and social demands; to plan training disciplines, developing core branches, satisfying the labor market demands.

- To guide and support localities in the key economic regions to renew and heighten the education and training quality, developing human resources in the context of the industrial revolution 4.0, meeting the development demands of the regions; to renew the contents of training programs in order to ensure quality and international integration; to raise the quality of the contingent of researchers and educational specialists.

b/  The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs

- To expeditiously organize training and retraining programs for laborers with qualifications and skills suitable to orientations for attraction of investment in branches and fields having demands and being the advantages of the key economic regions.

- To propose solutions to intensify the man power supply-demand connection between localities in the key economic regions and the whole country, the region and the world; to adopt policies on training alignment and cooperation between vocational training establishments, particularly the public establishments, and enterprises of all economic sectors in the key economic regions.

c/ The People’s Committees of provinces and cities in the key economic regions

- To determine by themselves the man-power demands according to the peculiarities of each locality, applying mechanisms on rational employment of human resources strictly according to training disciplines.

- To associate human resource training with demands of enterprises and labor market of the key economic regions. To review and prepare appropriate human resources enough for important and large-scale projects, especially projects with direct foreign investment capital.

4. Regarding regional databases and information systems

a/ The Ministry of Information and Communications

- To study and proceed with the development of modern digital infrastructures, giving priority to the 5G network infrastructure in hi-tech parks, information technology parks in order to proceed with innovative digital technologies of breakthrough nature; to guide localities in building and developing digital administrations in association with smart cities.

- To study and formulate mechanisms for connection and sharing of databases on alignment between key economic regions, aiming to develop and step up the application of information technology, raising the competitiveness of key economic regions.

b/ The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs

To establish database on high-quality human resources, including Vietnamese laborers who have studied or worked in countries with developed economies with a view to proactively supplying this labor source to meet the demands of enterprises in the key economic regions.

c/ The People’s Committees of provinces and cities in the key economic regions

To expeditiously coordinate with relevant ministries and ministerial-level agencies as well as localities in the key economic regions in completing the establishment of a common database on socio-economic development indexes, branches and domains with development priority, key facilities, big projects being executed in localities in service of the coordination of regional alignment activities.

5. Regarding the key economic region-coordinating mechanism

a/ The Ministry of Planning and Investment

Based on the model of Mekong River Delta Coordinating Council set up under the Prime Minister’s Decision No.825/QD-TTg of June 12, 2020, to propose the finalization of mechanism for coordination of activities of key economic regions. To act as key body for coordination with ministries, ministerial-level agencies and localities in the key economic regions in boosting the effective activities of connecting branches and domains in the key economic regions.

b/ Ministries, ministerial-level agencies and provincial/municipal People’s Committees in the key economic regions

To closely coordinate in well carrying out the coordinating activities of alignment between ministries and localities in the key economic regions under the Prime Minister’s Decisions No. 941/QD-TTg of June 25, 2015; No. 2059/QD-TTg of November 24, 2015; No. 2360/QD-TTg of December 22, 2015; No. 825/QD-TTg of June 12, 2020 (for the Mekong river delta); to promote the  motive role, connecting the key economic regions and promptly proposing to the Prime Minister, the Government proper mechanisms and policies for removing difficulties and problems in the course of implementation.

6. Regarding the restructuring of branches and domains

Ministries, ministerial-level agencies and localities in  the key economic regions should clearly identify the development strategies of key economic regions suitable to their potentials and comparative edges, working out specific solutions and detailed action plans on development of branches and fields so that each locality and each key economic region will be not only the economic development locomotives, where the offices, workshops of economic groups and companies are concentrated, but also the worth-living and worth-working places of domestic and foreign young people, intellectuals and high-quality human resources. Ministries and provinces and cities in the key economic regions should identify a number of branches and domains with advantages and development potentials for priority attraction of investment and implement synchronously a number of solutions. Concretely as follows:

a/ The development priority branches and domains of every key economic region

The key economic regions should focus on attracting investment in investment projects using high technologies, with high added value and high land use efficiency, innovation, start-up, training and development of high-quality human resources up to the requirements of the scientific and technological revolution 4.0, of which, every key economic region prioritizes the development of a number of following branches and fields:

- The northern key economic region concentrates on building high-quality human resource training centers; develop hi-tech industries, hi-tech services, banking and financial domains; intensive healthcare; support industries.

- The central key economic region concentrates on marine tourism, eco-tourism; automobile manufacture and assembly; petro-chemical industry, defense industry, seaport services.

- The southern key economic region concentrates on the manufacture and assembly of electric and electronic products; manufacturing and processing industries; digital economy; financial and banking fields; real estate.

- The Mekong river delta key economic region concentrates on modern large-scale agricultural production; organic agriculture; high-efficiency agriculture, optimizing the agricultural value; development of strain technologies; agricultural and fishery product- processing and - preserving industries.

b/ Ministries and ministerial-level agencies

- The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall coordinate with such localities as Ho Chi Minh city, Da Nang city in studying mechanisms for the building of regional-scale financial centers and submit them to competent authorities for consideration and decision.

- The Ministry of Science and Technology shall carry out innovative and research activities in support of the construction of technological nurseries, nursing scientific and technological enterprises in universities, enterprises, hi-tech parks, economic zones and scientific urban centers in the key economic regions; establish the rights to the protection, exploitation and development of intellectual property in association with the commercialization and development of scientific and technological market; step up the Institute-School-Enterprises alignment in the key economic regions in order to accelerate the transfer and application of scientific and technological achievements.

- The Ministry of Transport shall study and expeditiously propose the formulation of detailed scheme on connection of key and widespread traffic infrastructures, creating the regional connection (works connecting industrial parks, export processing zones, centripetal axes, belts, roads connecting sea ports and international transport corridors).

- The Ministry of Industry and Trade shall develop networks of logistics centers of key economic regions, concentrating in areas with advantages in geographical position, near the commodity supply sources such as industrial parks, port systems, agricultural production zones; boost the development of support industries, recycled energy, less emitted gas industries in support of agricultural and fishery product processing.

- The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall formulate solutions to restructuring the agriculture in every key economic region, prioritizing the potential and advantage promotion, linking agricultural production with product processing and consumption; step up the application of advanced sciences and techniques, high-effect technologies, organic agriculture, transfer of bio-technologies; form the production-processing-consumption chains for agricultural products, advantageous products of localities in the regions.

- The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall work out programs, plans and specific solutions for sustainable and efficient development of tourism, especially ecological and cultural tourisms demonstrating the peculiarity and specific trait of every key economic region.

c/ The People’s Committees of provinces and cities in the key economic regions:

- To implement more resolutely, more efficiently and more substantively the task of restructuring the economy in association with the change of growth models in all branches and domains towards higher quality, efficiency and competitiveness. To encourage the spirit of start-up and innovation in all activities of the economy. To focus on developing branches with comparative edges, which are advantages of localities and development focus of the regions.

- To further perform the major tasks and solutions for the improvement of business environment, administrative reform, heightening the provincial competitiveness. To prepare conditions on land, infrastructure, human resources, being ready to receive the investment capital currents from overseas. To effectively attract investment in economic zones, industrial parks, hi-tech parks.

III. IMPLEMENTATION ORGANIZATION

1. The Ministry of Planning and Investment:

To perform the assigned tasks and act as key body in urging ministries, ministerial-level agencies and localities in the key economic regions to implement the assigned tasks, ensuring the tempo and quality. To promptly propose to the Prime Minister measures to settle problems arising in the course of implementation of this Resolution. Annually before December 20,to report to the Prime Minister on the results of implementation of mechanisms, policies, tasks and solutions mentioned at this Resolution by the ministries, ministerial-level agencies and localities in the key economic regions.

2. Ministries, ministerial-level agencies and localities in the key economic regions

To concentrate on thoroughly studying and implementing the tasks and solutions defined at this Resolution; to expeditiously formulate specific programs and plans of action in quarter III of 2020, and direct agencies, units, cadres, civil servants, public employees and laborers under their respective management to organize the implementation. To promptly propose solutions to handling problems arising in the course of implementation and send them to the Ministry of Planning and Investment for sum-up reports to the Prime Minister. Annually before November 25, to send report on the results of implementation of tasks assigned at this Resolution to the Ministry of Planning and Investment for synthesis as provided.

3. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies or government-attached agencies, Secretaries of the provincial/municipal Party Committees, chairmen of the Councils of Key Economic Regions, presidents of the People’s Committees of provinces and cities in the key economic region shall be personally accountable to the Government and the Prime Minister for the deployment and results of implementation of this Resolution./.

On behalf of the Government

Prime Minister

NGUYEN XUAN PHUC