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AT A GLANCE Congratulations on Romania Great Union Day

VISITS PAID TO JAPAN, TURKEY & UAE BILATERAL & MULTILATERAL RELATIONS

During talks in Tokyo on November 27, and Empress Masako. The President also attended a ceremony in
State President Vo Van Thuong and Japanese celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between
Prime Minister Kishida Fumio agreed to Vietnam and Japan, and called on many other Japanese senior
upgrade Vietnam-Japan relations to a “Com- officials. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his
prehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia spouse left Hanoi on November 28 to pay an official visit to Turkey
and the World”. The President and his spouse paid an official visit from November 29-30 and then to attend the 28th UN Climate
to Japan from November 27-30 at the invitation of the Japanese Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) and hold several bilateral
State, during which they met with Japanese Emperor Naruhito activities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) until December 3.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 2024 GDP GROWTH TARGETED AT 6-6.5%
The National Assembly (NA) adopted a resolution on November 9 per 10,000 people is to increase to 32.5, the
on the socio-economic development plan for 2024, which sets a rate of trained workers is to rise to 69 per
GDP growth target of 6-6.5 per cent. Per capita income is to reach cent of the workforce, with those having
$4,700-4,730, while the manufacturing and processing sector is degrees and certificates accounting for 28-
tasked with contributing 24.1-24.2 per cent to GDP and workplace 28.5 per cent, health insurance coverage will stand at 94.1 per cent
productivity is to grow 4.8-5.3 per cent. Other targets include CPI of the population, the rate of communes meeting new-style rural
growth of 4-4.5 per cent, and reducing human resources in the area standards is to rise to 80 per cent, the rate of standard solid
agriculture sector to 26.5 per cent of the country’s total workforce, waste treatment in urban areas is to increase to 95 per cent, and
with unemployment in urban areas to be below 4 per cent. Poverty the rate of industrial parks and export processing zones installing
reduction is set at over 1 per cent, the number of doctors per standard concentrated wastewater treatment systems is to be
10,000 people is to increase to 13.5, the number of hospital beds about 92 per cent.

VIETNAM HIGHLIGHTS LESSONS FROM SUCCESS APEC MEETINGS
Addressing the Asia-Pacific Economic Coop- of the business community and people being crucial. The President
eration (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting, officially proposed that Vietnam host the APEC forum in 2027.
hosted by the US in San Francisco on During his stay in San Francisco from November 14-17, he attended
November 17, State President Vo Van Thuong many activities on the sidelines of the APEC Economic Leaders’
highlighted three lessons from APEC’s success as a leading regional Week, including a dialogue between APEC leaders and guests, a
cooperation and connection forum that brings substantive benefits meeting of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity
to people. The three lessons are the openness and goodwill of all (IPEF) partner nations, and the APEC CEO Summit 2023, among
parties to understand and overcome differences, find common other events, in addition to bilateral meetings between Vietnam
ground, and promote common interests; the vision and strategic and the US. He also met with US President Joe Biden, General
thinking of generations of leaders correctly positioning the role of Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping, and other leaders of
Asia and the Pacific and APEC; and the support and companionship APEC member economies and guests.

BIO-TECH DEVELOPMENT GOVERNMENT ISSUES ACTION PROGRAM
The government issued a resolution on November 16 to introduce suitable applications. It is also necessary
its action program for the implementation of Politburo Resolution to develop and make bio-technology part
No. 36-NQ/TW, dated January 30, 2023, on bio-tech development of life and a key economic-technical sector
and application, identifying concrete measures for accelerating serving national protection and construc-
the process, which is considered a priority mission and solution tion, the government resolution said. The action program also
in socio-economic development plans at all levels. Related laws, covers building a capable workforce, increasing investment in
mechanisms, and policies will be built and completed, creating infrastructure, supporting enterprises’ access to new technologies
favorable conditions for businesses, organizations, and individuals and intellectual property patents, branding and product com-
to take part in bio-tech research, reach breakthroughs, and create mercialization, and international cooperation, among other tasks.

2,500 BUSINESS REGULATIONS ABOLISHED OR SIMPLIFIED ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM

At the sixth meeting of the government’s efforts in digital transformation and building a digital government,
Steering Committee for Administrative the rate of administrative procedures submitted online to ministries
Reform on November 14, Prime Minister and agencies has increased 1.5-fold since 2022 to 80.7 per cent of the
Pham Minh Chinh, who is also head of the total, while the rate for applications submitted to local administrations
Committee, noted that, since 2021, nearly 2,500 business regulations rose 1.8-fold to 6.5 per cent. All of Vietnam’s 63 cities and provinces
have been abolished or streamlined, while 437 administrative have completed connection and data sharing between the national
procedures related to citizens’ papers have been simplified. At the population database and administrative procedure portals. Some
same time, several important institutions and policies on public 84.7 million chip-based ID cards have been issued, and 91.2 million
affairs and public servants have been promulgated. Thanks to drastic units of information on the social security database have been verified.

4 | VIETNAM ECONOMIC TIMES | DECEMBER 2023 en.vneconomy.vn