Vietnamese official vows to combat corruption and achieve 10% economic growth

Vietnam’s Communist Party Leader Announces Economic Growth Goal

At a recent gathering of the country’s governing Communist Party, Secretary-General To Lam outlined plans to boost annual economic growth to more than 10 percent for the remainder of the decade. The party congress, which started on Monday in Hanoi, will select a new party chief and set economic goals up to 2030.

Lam, who is also 68 years old, emphasized the need to address corruption and tackle “wastefulness and negativity” in government. He stated that all wrongdoings must be dealt with and called for administrative reform. The party congress will determine a new party chief, which Lam is likely to retain, as well as set economic goals.

Lam has already implemented significant reforms since taking office 17 months ago, including eliminating eight ministries or agencies and cutting nearly 150,000 jobs from the state payroll. He has also pushed ambitious rail and power projects.

The party congress will consider a submission that sets an annual economic growth goal of no less than 10 percent until 2030. The document also calls for strict enforcement of legal discipline to overcome chronic problems with implementation.

Lam addressed the gathering amid “many overlapping difficulties and challenges,” including natural disasters, epidemics, security risks, and disruptions in energy and food supply chains. He stated that infrastructure development is necessary to adapt to climate change and ensure strong regional, interregional, and global connectivity.

The party congress will also consider a document that calls for strict enforcement of legal discipline as a means to overcome chronic problems with implementation, which had eroded public trust and wasted national resources.

Source: Al Jazeera