The Red River Delta province of Hai Duong should focus on developing industry as its spearhead sector besides agriculture in order to raise local per capita income, said Politburo member and National Assembly (NA) Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung.
Addressing the October 27 opening ceremony of the province’s 18th Party Congress for the 2015-2020 tenure, the NA leader praised the achievements the Hai Duong Party Organisation and people have made over the past five years, with close to 30 percent of communes meeting new-style rural area criteria.
He, however, pointed out the province’s shortcomings such as slow economic growth, per capita income lower than the country’s average, weak competitiveness, ineffective management and use of land and minerals, and out-dated technology.
He urged the Congress to make accurate assessment of the current development level of the province, define sectors and fields that enjoy competitive edges, as well as identify opportunities and challenges from the international integration in order to put forth comprehensive development solutions.
Hai Duong should continue to step up the new-style rural area building movement with a goal of having more than 60 percent of communes satisfying criteria by 2020, he said, adding that economic growth must be coupled with socio-cultural development, job generation, social welfare and poverty reduction.
Chairman Hung asked the Hai Duong Party Organisation to strengthen Party building work in term of both political thought and organisation while attaching importance to mass mobilisation to enhance relations between the Party, State and people.
He expressed his hope that the Congress will select the best candidates for the new provincial Party Committee, thus leading the Party Organisation and residents to successfully implement their set objectives.
A political report delivered at the congress, which will last until October 28, showed that Hai Duong recorded a stable economic growth of 7.7 percent per year and a per capita gross regional domestic product (GRDP) of 2,000 USD during the 2010-2015 period.
Its economic structure has shifted on the right track with an increasing proportion of industrial sectors and a decline in the portion of agro-forestry-fishery.
As many as 64 communes across the province have fulfilled all the 19 criteria set for new-style rural areas, accounting for 28.3 percent of the total communes.-VNA