General Secretary: Find new steps to avoid the middle-income trap and the risk of falling behind.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - "If we don't develop rapidly and sustainably, other countries won't wait. The risk of falling behind and the middle-income trap is always lurking if we don't find a new path and steps," the General Secretary stated clearly.

On the morning of January 9th, General Secretary To Lam chaired a meeting with former Party and State leaders, exemplary veteran officials, and representatives of intellectuals, scientists, and artists from the southern provinces and cities. The event was held in Ho Chi Minh City, with the participation of former Politburo members and former Presidents Nguyen Minh Triet and Truong Tan Sang; former Politburo member and former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung; former Politburo member and former Standing Secretary of the Party Central Committee Le Hong Anh; and other former Party and State leaders. Also present were Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, and Head of the Central Propaganda Department Nguyen Trong Nghia; Politburo member and Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen; Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Chief of the Party Central Committee Office Nguyen Duy Ngoc; and representatives from the leadership of central and Ho Chi Minh City departments, ministries, and agencies.

General Secretary To Lam speaks at the meeting (Photo: HH).

At the meeting, General Secretary To Lam shared the achievements and milestones of the country in 2024 and the main directions for 2025 so that the entire Party, people, and army can enter a new era, an era of national progress. Among these, institutional reform, streamlining the apparatus, promoting the application of science and technology, innovation, and infrastructure development are top priorities.

Institutional obstacles still need to be removed.

The General Secretary stated that 2025 is a very important year for the country. The Central Committee of the Party has reached a high level of consensus on defining the basic understanding of the new era, the era of national progress, under the leadership and rule of the Communist Party, successfully building a socialist Vietnam that is prosperous, strong, democratic, just, and civilized. The top priority in the coming period is to successfully achieve the strategic goals by 2030, for Vietnam to become a developing country with modern industry and high middle income; and by 2045, to become a developed country with high income. Therefore, under the leadership of the Party, the entire people must unite in solidarity, work together, seize the most opportunities and advantages, overcome risks and challenges, and lead the country to comprehensive, strong, breakthrough, and take-off development.

The conference was attended by current and former leaders of the Party and State (Photo: HH).

Institutional reforms have been implemented in the past and will continue in the future. According to the General Secretary, the institutional framework still faces many obstacles, and many regulations need to be removed. Regarding the streamlining of the organizational structure, agencies have reported nearly 5,000 legal documents needing amendment or modification, including nearly 300 laws. "This is a very burdensome and complex process. If we don't focus on amending these, it will create significant obstacles for state agencies, localities, businesses, and even citizens when carrying out procedures," the General Secretary stated. The Party leader said that the National Assembly will soon convene to address these issues. First, four fundamental laws – the Law on the Promulgation of Legal Normative Documents, the Law on the Organization of the National Assembly, the Law on the Organization of the Government, and the Law on the Organization of Local Governments – will be amended. Next, decrees will be issued to resolve overlapping regulations. "Streamlining the administrative apparatus is a top priority in the coming period. A streamlined apparatus is essential for takeoff and achieving greater success. If it's too cumbersome, it will be very difficult," the General Secretary emphasized. Recently, the Central Committee has set an example and taken the lead in this by reducing the number of coordinating agencies from 19 to 13; the Government has agreed to reduce 5 ministries and 4 subordinate agencies; and the National Assembly has also reduced approximately 5 committees and upgraded several agencies. Streamlining the apparatus and reforming institutions must go hand in hand with a strict mechanism for monitoring and controlling power, preventing abuse of power. The General Secretary stated that the financial, banking, and monetary systems must also undergo strong reforms, coupled with the improvement of the legal system, ensuring fairness and civility, and eliminating current inadequacies.

The General Secretary emphasized that streamlining the apparatus is a top priority in the coming period (Photo: HH).

General Secretary To Lam also shared that, over the past year, the work of Party building and strengthening the political system has continued to be promoted, inheriting and building upon the important achievements of the previous period. The Party has led the consolidation of organizations, the fight against ideological decline and negative manifestations; the apparatus has been streamlined towards effectiveness and efficiency, reducing overlaps and improving management capacity. These are the foundations for increasing labor productivity, optimizing resources, and better meeting the requirements of the country's socio -economic development. "The fight against waste and corruption continues to be a bright spot with decisive, comprehensive, synchronized, and systematic efforts. This work contributes to ensuring the strictness of the law, purifying the internal ranks, promoting a sense of responsibility throughout the system, sanitizing the business and social environment, and strengthening the people's trust in the Party," General Secretary To Lam affirmed.

Wherever the road goes, socio-economic development follows.

General Secretary To Lam also shared that Vietnam only has 20 years left to realize the goal of becoming a developed, high-income country by 2045. Therefore, this is the time to start calculating strategic directions. The entire nation, under the leadership of the Party, needs to unite, agree, and work together to maximize opportunities and advantages, overcome risks and challenges to bring about comprehensive, strong, and breakthrough development for the country. "The risk of falling behind has been clearly identified. If we do not develop rapidly and sustainably, other countries will continue to develop without waiting for us. The risk of falling behind and the middle-income trap is always lurking if we do not find a new path and new steps," the General Secretary stated.

Delegates present suggestions and ideas for the country (Photo: HH).

At the conference, the General Secretary also shared his views on the long-standing issue of infrastructure development, especially transportation infrastructure. In recent years, the country has achieved many important results, such as the synchronously deployed highway network with over 2,000km, strengthening regional connectivity, reducing transportation costs, and enhancing national competitiveness. "Where roads go, socio-economic development follows, people's lives are improved, goods circulate smoothly, land prices increase, and investors will come. Ho Chi Minh City also has plans to develop ring roads connecting surrounding provinces. When the development potential within a locality is still limited, regional and inter-regional linkages need to be considered," General Secretary To Lam stated. Besides road transport, the Party leader also emphasized the development of rail and waterway transport. Recently, the National Assembly gave strong support for the North-South high-speed railway project. "Everyone can see that high-speed rail is a global development trend. It would be very difficult for us to develop without high-speed rail. With this railway line, travel time between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City will only take an average of 6 hours, a huge advantage. Goods in Ho Chi Minh City tonight can be exported tomorrow, much more convenient than road transport," the General Secretary said. To meet the double-digit growth target, the General Secretary also mentioned the need for strong investment in the energy sector. Major investors have warned that if we develop industry and digital technology , our current energy sources will not be sufficient. Meanwhile, our potential for wind and solar power is still very large, but it cannot meet long-term needs. The development of nuclear power is something that needs to be considered. "Previously, we considered developing nuclear power, but stopped due to safety concerns. Currently, our country has made thorough preparations in terms of human resources, training over 400 students in nuclear industry, nuclear power, and nuclear safety. We have conducted surveys and have projects in place. The necessary step is to select the cheapest, safest, and most modern investor in line with global trends," the General Secretary stated. With these major orientations, the General Secretary also affirmed that, more than ever, the State and the people place great trust in the intellectual and scientific community. This group is the pioneer, forming the core for strong innovation and development, aiming towards the rapid and sustainable development of the country in the new phase.

The event was attended by Mr. Nguyen Van Nen, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee (Photo: HH).

The General Secretary expressed his hope that intellectuals and scientists would strive to fulfill their responsibilities and missions in the new revolutionary period, contributing alongside the entire Party, people, and army to the successful achievement of the country's strategic goals. He hoped that the intellectual community would train, nurture, and support the next generation to progress, becoming a powerful driving force for national construction and defense, contributing to shaping the future of humanity and global civilization; and serving as a bridge to build a network of experts and scientists domestically and internationally, including Vietnamese intellectuals abroad and foreigners. In addition, the Party and State have always paid special attention to the artistic community, issuing numerous resolutions, mechanisms, and policies to create favorable conditions and a space for the development of literature and art. The artistic community has also grown and matured, making many particularly important contributions to the Party's revolutionary cause. The General Secretary expressed his hope that in the future, artists and writers would contribute even more by creating works of contemporary significance, possessing great ideological and artistic value, honoring the values ​​of truth, goodness, and beauty, and serving the people and the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation.

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/xa-hoi/tong-bi-thu-tim-buoc-di-moi-tranh-bay-thu-nhap-trung-binh-nguy-co-tut-hau-20250109131556449.htm