General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong: Creating changes and breakthroughs in the development of the midland and mountainous regions of the North

Overview of the conference. (Photo: Phuong Hoa/VNA)

On April 15, the Politburo and the Central Party Secretariat held a national conference to disseminate and implement Resolution No. 11-NQ/TW dated February 10, 2022 of the 13th Politburo on socio-economic development orientations, ensuring national defense and security in the midlands and northern regions to 2030, with a vision to 2045, in both direct and online formats.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trongchaired and delivered a speech at the conference.

Co-chairing were Politburo members: President Nguyen Xuan Phuc; Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh; National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

Attending the Conference were members of the Politburo, members of the Secretariat, Heads of Party Building Committees, Heads of relevant ministries and branches, Standing Committees of Provincial Party Committees in the Northern Midlands and Mountains, representatives of the leadership: Office of the President, Office of the Government, Office of the National Assembly, agencies of the National Assembly and the National Assembly Standing Committee, Presidium of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, Heads of socio-political organizations at the Central level, and Standing Committee of the Central Theoretical Council.

At the bridge points of the departments, ministries, branches and agencies directly under the Central Government, there are leaders of the agencies and key officials at the general department, department and division levels.

At the bridge points of the provinces in the midland and mountainous regions of the North, there were comrades: Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Member of the Executive Committee, Member of the Provincial Party Committee's Inspection Committee, leaders of departments, branches, sectors, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, socio-political organizations, agencies and units of the Central Government located in the province; Secretary, Deputy Secretary, Head of the Departments: Organization, Propaganda, Mass Mobilization, Chairman of the Inspection Committee of the Party Committee at the district level.

This is the first national conference to thoroughly grasp and implement the Politburo's Resolution on regional development, creating high consensus in awareness and action of the entire Party, people and army to soon bring the important Resolution into life, contributing to the successful implementation of the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress on regional development.

Strive for green, sustainable and comprehensive development

Based on the position and especially important role of the Northern midland and mountainous region, on July 1, 2004, the 9th Politburo issued Resolution No. 37-NQ/TW on the direction of socio-economic development and ensuring national defense and security in the Northern midland and mountainous region until 2010 and the 11th Politburo summarized 10 years of implementing Resolution No. 37-NQ/TW, issued Conclusion No. 26-KL/TW, dated August 2, 2012 on the direction of socio-economic development and ensuring national defense and security in the Northern midland and mountainous region until 2010 and the period 2011-2020.

After 17 years of implementing the Resolutions and Conclusions of the 9th and 11th Politburo, localities in the region have increasingly recognized the role, position, importance and exploited the potentials and advantages of the region.

Socio-economic infrastructure, especially transport infrastructure, has received investment attention, helping to significantly improve connectivity between provinces in the region and between the region and the whole country. Some localities have made breakthrough developments, creating bright spots in the region and the whole country.

Resolution No. 11-NQ/TW, dated February 10, 2022 of the 13th Politburo on the direction of socio-economic development, ensuring national defense and security in the midland and northern regions to 2030, with a vision to 2045, this time inherited, supplemented, and developed 3 very brief viewpoints of Resolution No. 37-NQ/TW into 5 new guiding viewpoints, suitable to the new situation and context.

There are many contents here that clearly demonstrate the spirit of innovation and the high determination of our Party to create a breakthrough change in the development of the midland and mountainous regions of the North - the "headland", "fence", "lung" of the Fatherland... The Party Committee, government and people of the provinces in the region always have a tradition of patriotism, solidarity, unity and have high will and determination...

This Resolution has clearly defined the general goals and some specific targets by 2030 and the vision to 2045, clearly demonstrating the aspirations, will and determination of our Party, State and people, especially the Party Committees, authorities and ethnic minorities in the region. By 2030, the Northern midland and mountainous region will be a green, sustainable and comprehensive development region, on the basis of increasing investment in infrastructure linking within the region and with the Red River Delta and Hanoi; developing processing, manufacturing and energy industries; high-tech, organic and specialty agriculture; border gate economy, tourism; protecting and restoring forests, especially upstream forests; promoting afforestation, developing sustainable forestry economy; exploiting and effectively using natural resources and minerals; protecting the environment, ecological security and water security.

Some provinces are among the group of fairly developed provinces in the country; the cultural identity of ethnic groups is preserved and promoted; the material and spiritual life of the people is improved and enhanced; national defense and security are firmly ensured; the Party organization and political system are clean and strong; the great solidarity of ethnic groups is strengthened.

By 2045, the midland and mountainous region of the North will be a green, sustainable and comprehensive development region; a model of green development for the whole country, in which about 50% of the provinces are in the group of fairly developed provinces in the country...

This Resolution sets out comprehensive and synchronous tasks and solutions to meet the requirements of the new development stage. The groups of tasks and solutions focus on perfecting institutions and development policies and promoting regional connectivity; rapidly and sustainably developing the regional economy; developing culture and society, improving the material and spiritual life of the people; firmly ensuring national defense and security; building and rectifying the Party and the political system in accordance with the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress and the new situation.

Create high unity in perception

Speaking at the conference, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong stated that in order to promote the potential and advantages of each region and the whole country, in addition to general development policies for the whole country, there must also be specific, appropriate and suitable development policies for each region; overcoming the situation where each province requests specific mechanisms and policies, with its own incentives, which is not consistent with the basic general principles of the market economy, which are unity and equality.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong delivers a speech at the conference. (Photo: Phuong Hoa/VNA)

“Therefore, the Politburo of previous terms also issued a number of specialized resolutions on regional development and assigned the Government Party Committee to direct the development and implementation of action programs and mechanisms and policies appropriate to each period to bring the Resolution into life; considering this an important issue for the rapid and sustainable development of each region and the whole country,” said the General Secretary.

In order to effectively implement the Resolution of the Politburo, in conjunction with continuing to promote the implementation of the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress and the National Socio-Economic Development Strategy to 2030, with a vision to 2045, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong emphasized that it is necessary to thoroughly, correctly and deeply grasp the meaning, goals, requirements and contents of the Resolution, grasp the viewpoints, guiding thoughts and tasks to be done; create high unity in awareness at all levels, sectors, of the people and the business community about the role, position and importance of the region.

Innovate development thinking, especially on regional and sub-regional linkages; specific mechanisms and policies; resource allocation; human resources and potentials and advantages to maximize the potentials and advantages of the region, sub-regions and each province in the region and sub-region; solve key national issues in the region; inter-sectoral, inter-regional and inter-sub-regional issues.

“At the same time, it is necessary to perceive and properly and well resolve the relationship between regional development and the overall development of the whole country - the whole country for the region and the region for the whole country; clearly define the role, position, function and tasks of the central ministries, branches and localities in the region to clearly define the responsibilities and powers of each agency and unit in organizing the effective implementation of the Resolution in accordance with the spirit of "right role, right lesson," General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong noted.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong pointed out that it is necessary to further arouse and promote the revolutionary tradition, patriotism; the spirit of initiative and creativity; the sense of self-reliance and the aspiration to rise up of cadres, party members and people in localities in the region; to be determined to surpass themselves, overcome the mentality of complacency, mediocrity, and not accept poverty and inferiority to other provinces and regions.

At the same time, strengthen the support of the Central Government, the cooperation and assistance of localities nationwide to develop the regional economy more quickly and sustainably; promote regional economic growth to a level higher than the national average on the basis of gradually innovating the growth model associated with promoting the transformation of the regional economic structure.

On the basis of innovation in thinking and awareness, promoting the building and perfecting of institutions and policies for regional development, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong requested that central agencies strengthen coordination with the Regional Council and localities in the region, promptly build, perfect, promulgate and implement laws and priority policies specific to regional development; build and organize the effective implementation of the Regional Development Plan for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050 in a green, sustainable and comprehensive direction; in line with the national master plan.

Localities in the region promote administrative reform, improve the investment and business environment, attract and effectively use all resources for development investment; prioritize the allocation of state budget capital, combined with mobilizing social resources for investment in developing key projects with spillover effects, solving regional and inter-regional development issues; comprehensively develop the region in terms of economy, culture, and society, associated with ensuring national defense and security at the forefront of the Fatherland.

Regarding the promotion of Party building and rectification and a comprehensively clean and strong political system, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong emphasized strengthening the Party's leadership, the effectiveness and efficiency of management at all levels of government; perfecting the organizational apparatus of agencies in the political system in the spirit of Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW and Resolution No. 19-NQ/TW; striving for all villages and hamlets in ethnic minority and mountainous areas to have Party members and Party cells; regularly educating political ideology, improving revolutionary ethics for cadres, Party members and the younger generation; building a contingent of leaders and managers at all levels, ensuring quality, quantity, reasonable structure, with close transfer and inheritance between generations; paying attention to training, fostering and training the next generation of cadres, female cadres, and cadres who are ethnic minorities; Implement well the democratic regulations at the grassroots level, promote the role of the Fatherland Front, socio-political organizations and people's organizations; build the great solidarity bloc of ethnic groups, promote the strength of the entire political system; highly promote the cultural and revolutionary traditions; the diligence and self-reliance of the people in the region; build solidarity and friendship between the people in the region and the people of neighboring countries.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong requested that, immediately after this Conference, based on the Resolution and Plan of the Politburo, the direction and guidance of the Central Party Committees and superior agencies, Party committees and organizations at the Central and all levels, sectors, agencies and units in the entire political system of localities in the region need to urgently develop action plans, study programs, disseminate and implement the Resolution in conjunction with continuing to promote the implementation of the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress and resolutions of provincial Party Congresses.

The Government Party Committee needs to urgently direct the development and promulgation of an Action Program to implement the Resolution, assigning specific tasks to ministries, branches at the central level and localities in the region. The Action Program must closely follow the viewpoints, guiding ideas and contents of the Resolution, and at the same time be appropriate to each locality in the region and sub-region.

Central ministries, branches and localities in the region need to concretize the Resolution and Action Program of the Government with specific and highly feasible mechanisms, policies, plans, projects and resources.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong believes that after this Conference, the Party committees, authorities and people of the provinces in the Northern midland and mountainous region will, together with the Central Committees, ministries and branches and Party committees and authorities at all levels nationwide, especially the capital Hanoi, Hai Phong city, Quang Ninh province and the entire Northern key economic region, be determined and then even more determined; have innovated and strived and then continue to innovate and strive even more vigorously, to seize every opportunity and advantage; overcome all difficulties and challenges; successfully implement the Resolution of the Politburo this time, creating a new, breakthrough change in socio-economic development and ensuring national defense and security in the Northern midland and mountainous region./.