Government News 3/12 PM regards anti-corruption as priority in 2015 PM Nguyen Tan Dung on December 2 attended the Viet Nam Business Forum 2014, an official dialogue channel between the Government and the Vietnamese business community for establishing a favorable business environment, attracting more investment and stimulating economic growth. The event was held in the context that the Government has launched a number of measures to improve the investment environment to create transparency and confidence for domestic and foreign enterprises. At the forum, delegates discussed six main issues including the public and bad debt in the financial sector, measures to enhance the development of the private sector (Small and Medium-sized-enterprises and the domestic enterprises); labor issue, the privatization process of State-owned-enterprises, administrative procedure reform, as well as issues arising after the country joined trade agreements. Co-chair of the VBF Virginia Foote spoke of achievements Viet Nam has made, especially the National Assembly's adoption of the amended Law on Investment and the Law on Enterprises. PM Nguyen Tan Dung revealed the Government’s goals set for 2015, including a GDP growth rate of 6.2%, an inflation rate of 5% and a reduction in budget overspending to around 5%. To that end, the Government will focus on completing the market economy mechanism since it was regarded as a breakthrough, reforming mechanisms, laws, administrative procedures, developing capital, monetary, labor and real estate markets, facilitating businesses to increase labor and competitiveness capacity; bettering the business environment and preventing smuggling and trade of fake commodities. PM Dung also highlighted the anti-corruption work as a priority in the future, proposing two major solutions including the completion of the market economy in accordance with reforming administrative procedure, being transparent in asset, budget, mineral resources, and State-owned enterprise management, and strictly dealing with corruption activities. The Government will also guarantee the social fairness and security in terms of job creation, healthcare service, educational opportunities and poverty reduction, he asserted. NA official receives Mongolian Auditor General National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan had a meeting with Auditor General of the Mongolian National Audit Office (MNAO) Zangad Ayur in Hanoi on December 2. Ngan said Vietnam always treasures its relations with Mongolia and wishes for bilateral cooperation strongly developing in a practical and effective manner in all spheres. She spoke highly of the linkage between the State Audit Office of Vietnam (SAV) and the MNAO, adding that she hopes they will increase the exchange of high-ranking delegations and experience as well as work closer at multilateral forums. The two sides should boost win-win economic cooperation on the basis of their strength so as to bring it on par with their flourishing political relations, she suggested. For his part, Zangad Ayur said the friendship and collaboration between Vietnam and Mongolia have made strides over the past 60 years while their audit offices’ relations have also seen considerable progress. In the coming time, the MNAO and the SAV will focus on sharing experience in auditing the fields of natural resources exploitation, clean water and food safety, and information technology, he added. Viet Nam, Macedonia to fortify economic ties Viet Nam and Macedonia have signed several agreements that will boost bilateral economic ties, which leaders of both nations say are modest at present. In talks held in Skopje yesterday, Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan and Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov also agreed to enhance co-operation in education and training and boost cultural exchanges including increased people-to-people meetings. Doan said that Viet Nam was always willing to be a bridge between Macedonia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and Ivanov said his country could be Viet Nam's gateway to the Balkan market. The bilateral agreements, signed during the Vietnamese President's three-day visit to the southeast European country, include one on reciprocal protection of investments, double taxation avoidance and strengthening economic co-operation. The two leaders said the agreements would create a favourable legal framework for boosting bilateral multifaceted co-operation and enhancing trade turnover. They also exchanged opinions in international and regional issues of mutual concern and affirmed that they would work closely at all international forums, especially the United Nations and the Francophonie bloc. On the East Sea issue, Ivanov said that Macedonian leaders had always supported Viet Nam's stance in solving disputes through peaceful measures, based on international laws including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Speed up reforms to satisfy voters, City tells officials The HCM City government yesterday urged grassroots authorities to be more active in pursuing administrative reform, saying people's satisfaction with administrators is not increasing fast enough. At a meeting yesterday with leaders of the city's 322 wards, 24 districts, and 18 departments and sectors, Le Hoang Quan, chairman of People's Committee and head of the HCM City Administrative Reforms Steering Committee, urged them to speed up reforms. The reforms were vital for improving the efficiency of the administration and ensuring socio-economic development, he said. Truong Van Lam, director of the City's Department of Home Affairs, quoted a survey done by the HCM City Institute for Development Studies as saying that while there was a rise in confidence in administrators, it had been slow. Quan said the city's economic growth was expected to be 9.5 per cent this year, higher than last year's 9.3 per cent. "After the meeting to review the city's economy after 11 months this year, we will see that if we strengthen administrative reform, the growth rate will be much higher." Companies contributed greatly to growth, and customs and tax reforms had helped them reduce the time taken for procedures, he said. But he blamed some departments and agencies for not performing their task of serving the people well and ensuring the city's socio-economic development. The meeting heard from the Department of Home Affairs however that most programmes and targets for administrative reform this year had been completed. According to the department the task of assessing legal documents and administrative procedures has been done regularly, helping improve administrative efficiency. Through this process, the city has scrapped 10 administrative procedures out of 2,182 this year. According to the department, many sectors have started to make use of information technology to speed up administrative reform. A single-door policy has been adopted by all wards, districts, departments, and sectors to improve administrative services for both individuals and companies. The Department of Information and Communication has upgraded the IT infrastructure at government offices in every district. The electronic system with 13,707 electronic mail boxes is being put to good use at government offices, according to report. At the meeting, directions on strengthening administrative reform were announced. A seven-page document requires heads of departments, districts, and other offices to monitor their subordinates and be accountable if reforms are tardy. Party chief congratulates veterans on association’s founding anniversary Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, who is also Secretary of the Party Central Committee’s Military Commission, on December 2 sent a letter of congratulations to members of the Veterans’ Association of Vietnam (VAVN) on the association’s 25th founding anniversary (December 6, 1989-2014) and its fifth patriotic emulation congress. In his letter, the Party leader described the anniversary and the congress as important events of the Vietnam People’s Army as well as of war veterans, ex-soldiers, and people nationwide. He added the VAVN has been developing and operating in an active and effective manner over the last 25 years with such notable activities as educating its members on patriotism, fighting against sabotage plots of hostile forces, and engaging in socio-economic development, security, defence and diplomatic activities. Since Vietnam will see both opportunities and challenges in the years to come, the association needs to intensify the dissemination of the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and laws to its members, foster the patriotic emulation movement, and further involve in socio-economic development, he said. The Party chief expressed his belief that the VAVN will uphold its attainments and make even greater strides in the coming time. The same day, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung received delegates attending the VAVN’s fifth patriotic emulation congress.    President Sang attends Patriotic Emulation Congress On December 2, State President Truong Tan Sang attended the 5th National Patriotic Emulation Congress of the Vietnam War Veterans’ Association in Hanoi with the participation of 530 war veterans. In his speech, President Sang applauded the performance of the Vietnam War Veterans’ Association over the past 25 years as a solid political and social organization representing the will and aspirations of war veterans nationwide. “The Association’s first and foremost political task is to unite and mobilize war veterans to contribute to Party building and development and reinforcing national unity. Association members should be more active in patriotic emulation movements and other national economic developmental, cultural, national defense, and security activities.”, the State leader said. He asked Association members to implement Ho Chi Minh’s Thoughts on patriotic emulation and coordinate with the Vietnam Fatherland Front in exercising social supervision and criticism as well as promoting a healthy lifestyle in residential areas. He also asked the Association to honor and replicate exemplary role models, especially in mountain, island, remote, and ethnic areas. On the same day, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, who is also Secretary of the Party Central Committee’s Military Commission sent a letter of congratulations to members of the Veterans’ Association of Vietnam on the association’s 25th founding anniversary (1989-2014) and its fifth patriotic emulation congress. In his letter, the Party leader described the anniversary and the congress as important events of the Vietnam People’s Army as well as of war veterans, ex-soldiers, and people nationwide. On the occasion, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung received delegates attending the fifth Patriotic Emulation Congress. Source: NA/VOV/VNN