Vietnam is determined to firmly protect its independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national interests in line with its policies and international law, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said on November 18 during the question-and-answer session of the ongoing 10th session of the National Assembly (NA).
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| Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung at the question-and-answer session__Photo: VNA |
Responding to deputies’ questions about national sovereignty, complicated developments in the East Sea and the Vietnam-China relationship, the Prime Minister emphasized that Vietnam’s “points of view, stands and policies were clear and consistent.”
”We will continue to uphold the Party’s and State’s correct guidelines and policies, and try our best to boost the friendship and cooperation on an equal footing, with mutual interests and co-development with China in all fields,” Dung said.
In addition to socio-economic development, Vietnam has kept boosting its national defense, security and external relations, and strengthening national solidarity, he noted.
The Government leader said the country should call for and make full use of international support so as to keep peace and stability for further development.
Dung also clarified key contents of the socialist-oriented market economy in Vietnam, saying the Government used laws, policies and resources to ensure social equity and security and develop a socialist state ruled by law for the benefits of citizens and the nation.
The Government continued to improve the legal framework and comprehensively develop different types of markets such as goods, service, finance, real estate, labor, and technology markets, the Prime Minister said.
During the question-and-answer session, lasting two and a half days, Minister of Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh answered questions about the misuse of state budget funds and waste in public investment.
Vinh said his ministry in collaboration with the Ministries of Finance and Construction could calculate losses and waste occurring during the use of resources in the country but it was difficult to give an exact number because the question covered natural resources, human resources and funding sources.
He took the construction sector as an example, saying losses and waste not only occurred in the construction process but also in the design and project evaluation stages.
Conceding losses and waste in public investment, especially in construction, Minister of Construction Trinh Dinh Dung proposed tightening control over estimation of funds for projects and intensifying inspection to help reduce such losses and waste.
Regarding administrative reform, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said that administrative reform in institutions, Government apparatuses, procedures and public finance in the past year had made significant progress, particularly ensuring better transparency, meeting people’s demands, and creating a better environment for the business sector.
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| Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc answers questions on administrative reform __Photo: VNA |
He said although improvement was seen in administrative procedures, especially in tax collection, land management, custom services and social insurance, the comprehensive goal would not be achievable due to a gap between theory and reality during the reform process.
To solve the problem, Phuc proposed a synchronized measure to cut down on Government staff, including firing unqualified officials in the state apparatus.
Answering questions about Vietnam’s preparedness for international integration, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai affirmed that the Government had issued a number of decrees instructing ministries and related agencies to work out action plans for the country’s participation in international economic blocs and trade agreements.
He asked ministries to cooperate with businesses, sectors and associations in drawing up appropriate roadmaps for products that would face bigger challenges.
However, the biggest foreseeable challenge for the economy was the low competitiveness of local products, which would lead to a high rate of unemployment, Hai noted.
In terms of food safety, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said ministries and related agencies had made concerted efforts to deal with the issue but he admitted that the efforts did not yet meet aspirations of the Government and people.
To effectively control food safety, Dam called for professional and ethical practices from businesses and people involved in food production, processing and trading.
NA deputies said they appreciated the question-and-answer session as one of the NA’s greater efforts to renew and increase the efficiency of its operation. They also showed their satisfaction with the reports from government officials, ministers and heads of related sectors.- (VNS/VLLF)
