HANOI, (PNA/VNS) — Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has urged northern port city Hai Phong to make full use of its strength as the north’s gateway to the sea.
Trong called on the city to develop its seaport, services, tourism industry and logistics as part of a concerted effort to spearhead local development.
The party leader was speaking at a working session yesterday between the Party Politburo and the Standing Board of Hai Phong Municipal Party Committee to review the region’s progress towards modernization and industrialization over the past 10 years.
Reporting to the Poliburo, municipal Party Committee Secretary Nguyen Van Thanh said since starting the resolution implementation, the city’s economy had been growing relatively fast. From 2003 to 2012, its GDP rose by an average of 11 percent per year. Services and industry sectors contributed 90 percent of the economic growth.
GDP per capita in 2012 reached US$ 2,064, nearly three times the figure from 2002.
As the main route to the sea for northern provinces, the volume of commodities traded through the city’s ports surged from 13 million tonnes in 2003 to 48.8 million tones in 2012.
By 2020, Hai Phong aimed to become a modern port city, the country’s key center for marine economy development, plus a center of education, training and health care for the northern coastal provinces, Thanh added.
Development of seaports and airports would be a driving force for the city to become a large services and industry center, growing at a rapid yet sustainable pace, he said.
After hearing the report, Trong recognized the city’s achievements over the past 10 years, saying the results would create firm foundations for Hai Phong to continue developing in the future.
However, the economic growth was neither strong enough nor sustainable, he said.
“Hai Phong should closely follow the directions outlined in the resolutions of the 11th Party Congress which requires economic restructuring in combination with renovating the growth model, as well as rapid but sustainable development and a shift towards in-depth development,” the Party leader said.
He reminded Hai Phong to continue maintaining political stability, social safety and order, while actively preventing and thwarting sabotage plans from hostile forces, because the city is strategically placed in terms of national defense-security.
In addition, the Party leader urged the city to pay attention to strengthening Party organization and the political system, thus creating concerted strength for socio-economic development.