Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc emphasised the need to ensurethe quality of growth and people’s living standards at the same time whileaddressing the Cabinet’s meeting in Hanoi on April 2.

“Economicgrowth is necessary and urgent. The Government is resolved to achieve thegrowth rate of at least 6.7 percent in 2018. However, ensuring growth qualityis an important task of ministries, agencies and localities,” he said.

Theleader attributed the country’s first-quarter growth rate of 7.38 percent, thehighest level over the past decade, to drastic actions taken by the Government.

Heaffirmed that the Government will make efforts to maintain the pace whileworking harder to improve the growth quality in order to ensure a safer and happierlife for people, and help businesses operate stably and successfully.

Todeal with increasing trade protectionism globally and prevent impacts of apossible global trade war on Vietnam’s exports, the PM assigned the Ministry ofIndustry and Trade to coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies to takemore drastic and timely measures against trade protectionism.

PM Phuc said the Asian Development Bank and someother financial institutions forecast Vietnam’s economic growth rate at about6.7 percent in 2018, which matches the Government’s calculation.

He asked the Ministry of Planning and Investmentto review the quarterly growth scenario for each sector so to take appropriateactions to achieve the growth rate of at least 6.7 percent this year.

[Prime Minister sets growth target of 6.7 percent꧙ for 2018]

He also called on sectors and authorities at alllevels to strive to attain a higher growth rate in order to create a momentum for2019 and help to successfully carry out the development plan for 2016-2020.

The Cabinet leader requested addressing shortcomingsin each sector, locality and region. The Ministry of Planning and Investmentand the PM’s working group have to supervise ministries and localities’implementation of their tasks so as to achieve the set growth target.

At the meeting, he urged institutional reformsto be stepped up, outstanding lawmaking problems to be solved, andadministrative procedure reforms to continue, thus creating more favourableconditions for investors, businesses and people.

He also applauded the ministries of justice,transport, health, and agriculture and rural development for publicizing theiradministrative procedure streamlining schemes.

Notably, the Ministry of Culture, Sports andTourism was told to enhance tourism promotion activities, especially before thepeak season summer, in order to gain a tourism growth rate of 30 percent in2018.

Regarding the expansion of Tan Son NhatInternational Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, PM Phuc emphasised the need torespect the opinions of the independent consultancy, the Transport Ministry andthe HCM City People’s Committee. 

The airport will be expanded to both the northand the south to optimise its operations. If necessary, the adjacent golfcourse will be used to serve the airport’s activities, he added.

Heasked Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam to instruct ministries, agencies and localities toroll out stronger and timely policies and roadmaps to make the country not lagbehind in the fourth industrial revolution.-VNA