VNA
All Party members must set examples in their life and work: Party leader
Communist Party of Vietnam General Secretary Nong Duc Manh has called on all
Party members,particularly members of the Party Central Committee and their
families, to set examples in their personal life and daily work as well as
in the implementation of the Party's platform, guidelines and resolutions,
in the enforcement of laws and policies as stipulated in the Party's
Statutes.
Each and every member of the Party Central Committee, with his/her
responsibility as stipulated in the Party's Statutes, must strive to be
involved in the collective leadership of the Party Central Committee, fulfil
their assigned tasks and set an example in implementing and protecting the
Party's platform and guidelines as well as the State's laws and policies, Mr
Manh told the plenum.
In his closing address, General Secretary Manh said that the Regulation has
also clarified the responsibility of Party Central Committee members in
preserving unity, leading an exemplary life, and building a cultural family.
Each and every Party Central Committee member should never let his/her
spouse or children abuse his/her position and do what is contrary to the
Party's Statutes and regulations as well as the State's laws and policies,
or harm the Party's prestige. Every Party CC member must be responsible for
corruption and wastefulness committed by his/her direct subordinates or
echelons and localities under his/her management, Mr Manh emphasised.
He stated that all working regulations passed at the plenum have clarified
the work style while making fact-finding tours at the grassroots level,
listening to comments and ideas from Party members, government officials and
people. They have also made clear the ways of direct involvement by Party CC
members, the Party General Secretary and Politburo members and Party
Secretaries in summing up experiences learned from reality.
At the same time, the working Regulations have laid stress on rules of
debates and discussions on controversial issues, the practice of criticism
and questioning according to the Party's Statutes in order to ensure
democracy in the Party Central Committee.
The tentative agenda for the whole tenure of the Party Central Committee
passed at the plenum has reflected the Committee's determination to discuss
and approve resolutions on major issues, and issues that can make a
breakthrough in the implementation of the ninth national Party congress's
resolution in accordance with the Party's main viewpoint that economic
development is regarded as the centrepiece and Party building, as the key,
while translating the Party's resolution into life, Mr Manh told the plenum.
The third plenum has discussed and adopted its resolution to pave the way
for the implementation of the Ninth Party Congress's resolution and help the
state-owned corporate sector play a leading role in a socialist-oriented
market economy, thus helping state-owned enterprises (SOEs) increase their
competitiveness in the course of international economic integration and
national industrialisation and modernisation, he added.
The Party leader noted that Vietnam has formed a relatively fundamental
legal framework for adapting the operation of SOEs to the State-regulated
market economy, gradually defining autonomy and responsibility of SOE's in
production and businesses activities, step by step phasing out State
subsidies while ensuring social policies in the course of restructuring,
renovating and developing SOEs and improving their efficiency.
Mr Manh said that the Party Central Committee pointed to outstanding issues
to be resolved such as an incomplete legal environment, non-uniform market
elements and unsuitable macro-management mechanisms.
According to the general secretary, the Party Central Committee Resolution
has just adopted a number of issues relating to the re-arrangement and
further improvement of organisation and management of SOEs. The Resolution
defines tasks to be urgently fulfilled to create a new momentum for SOEs and
accelerate equitisation, considering it an important step for continued
renovation and improvement of the efficiency and competitiveness of
State-owned enterprises.
He went on to say that the Party Central Committee has affirmed the spirit
of the Ninth National Party Congress Resolution, which defines the leading
role of the State economic sector with SOEs serving as the core and an
important material instrument for the State to direct and regulate the
economy on the macro scale.
Mr Manh said that a socialist-oriented economy must be evaluated by its
overall socio-economic efficiency towards the goals of socialism. In order
to fulfil the new tasks, he noted, importance should be placed on summing up
domestic experiences learnt from reality and by referring to foreign
countries' experiences. The Party leader noted that, the nature of social
regimes and the development level of production forces are varied, their
objectives, orientations and solutions cannot be mechanically copied and
that it is impossible to immediately clarify all outstanding issues by
wishful thinking.
It is necessary to promptly sum up experiences drawn from the course of
building models of Party, trade union, political and mass organisations
operational in SOEs, the Party leader said. He added that special importance
should be attached to fostering and training a contingent of ethically and
professionally qualified executives and managers of enterprises. Attention
should be also placed on training skilled technicians and workers, improving
their living conditions and bringing into play their rights to mastery.
Regarding tasks to be completed from now to the year-end, the Party leader
said efforts should be focused on fulfilling socio-economic targets set for
2001, the first year of implementing the 9th National Party Congress
Resolution. Apart from advantages, there are also disadvantages and newly
arising issues to be addressed. It is also necessary to pay attention to
natural calamity control.
Mr Manh called for prompt implementation of the Politburo Directive on
further stepping up the campaign on Party building and strengthening and
State administrative reform. It is also essential to carry out measures
against corruption as stipulated in the Ninth National Party Congress
Resolution. He added that, first of all, efforts should be focused on the
handling of corruption casesthat have been discovered with a frank and
objective attitude. Those who have committed mistakes must be criticised and
punished, no matter what social position they hold. (VNA)
---------------
Party Plenum - open and frank debate to solve issues
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, ninth tenure, held
its third plenary session in Hanoi from August 13-22.
Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh chaired the meeting and delivered
opening and closing speeches.
The meeting highlighted the role of each member of the Party Central
Committee (Party CC). Debates took place in an open and frank atmosphere so
as to solve effectively issues raised in the session's agenda.
The plenum passed in full the Working Regulation of the Party Central
Committee, the Politburo and the Secretariat; the Working Regulation of the
Central Committee's Inspection Commission, the Working Programme of the
ninth tenure of the Central Committee; and the Resolution of the Central
Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam. The session entrusted the
Politburo with the task of finalising and issuing the Party CC's third
session resolution on further re-structuring, renovating, developing, and
raising the efficiency of State-owned enterprises, on the basis of reports
by the Politburo and viewpoints raised by Party CC members during the
session.
All the regulations passed at the plenary session were based on the Party's
statute and the Resolution of the Ninth National Party Congress, and the
Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The regulations makers
inherited and and developed the sound contents while overcoming the
shortcomings or limitations of the previous regulations. They also
supplemented, developed, and further concretised a number of new parts to
clarify provisions on responsibilities, powers, working rules and methods of
the Party Central Committee; the Politburo; the Secretariat; the general
secretary, Politburo members, and the Central Committee; the Party Central
Committee's Inspection Commission and its staff. The Politburo agreed on the
importance of implementing democratic centralism throughout the Party, from
top to bottom, in order to improve the Party's capacity to lead and to
promote managerial efficiency and quality, as well as to raise the role and
responsibility of mass organisations and to increase the inspection and
supervision work so as to maintain Party discipline.
Under the newly-adopted regulation, each member of the Party Central
Committee has to do the utmost to fulfil his/her assignment, actively take
part in the leadership of the Party Central Committee, set an example in
implementing and defending the line and stances of the Party, resolutions
and decisions of the Party Central Committee, and Law and policies of the
State. They are also required to maintain unity, live a healthy life, build
a model of advanced families and not to let their loved ones abuse their
power to violate the Party regulations, laws and State policies, thus
damaging the Party's prestige. They will have to bear responsibility for
corruption, wastefulness, and bureaucracy committed by their juniors either
directly under their management or in the agencies or localities in their
charge.
The new regulation has given more details to fact-finding tours of
grassroots establishments or localities, stipulating that members of the
Party Central Committee, including the General Secretary, Politburo members,
and Secretariat members, have to listen to officials, Party members, and
people and directly take part in summing up realities.
The plenum discussed and passed the working programme of the whole ninth
tenure of the Party Central Committee. The programme has made clear the
responsibilities and determination of the Party Central Committee in
concretising and organising the implementation of the Resolution of the
Ninth National Party Congress through putting into discussion and issuing
resolutions on major issues, especially breakthroughs in economic areas, to
create a new impetus; concentrating on solving pressing social issues from
the process of strengthening the Party, the State and mass organisations.
The programme reflects the guiding stance of economic development, Party
strengthening, and national construction all closely associated with
defending the Socialist Vietnam fatherland. A new objective of the programme
is to spend more time reviewing the implementation of issued resolutions,
organising mid-term reviews of the Ninth National Party Congress Resolution,
and supplementing necessary policies and solutions to translate the
Resolution into the daily life.
The session discussed and passed detailed stipulations on responsibilities,
powers and working methods of the Party Central Committee's Inspection
Commission so as to improve the quality and efficiency of the Commission's
operations in inspecting and maintaining Party discipline.
Much time was spent discussing the project 'Further re-structuring,
renovating, developing, and raising the efficiency of State-owned
enterprises (SOEs). The plenary session deeply analysed both strong and weak
points of these SOEs as well as their cause in an effort to re-structure,
renovate and develop them. SOEs have made a major contribution to
maintaining the State economic sector's key role in the national economy,
under the clear-sighted leadership of the Party and the guidance of the
government, authorities at all levels as well as tireless efforts to
overcome difficulties and challenges shown by the SOEs and the working class
in the new economic structure.
They have managed to step into all industries, play a core role in economic
and export growth, make a major contribution to the State budget, guarantee
major balances, and stabilise the macro economy. The new SOE structure and
scale has enabled these enterprises to increase production capacity, make
major progress in technology upgrade and management, raise their
socio-economic efficiency, and improve their competitiveness.
So far, SOEs have adapted well to the market economy, giving more autonomy
to individual companies, holding their companies more responsible for their
operations, using a more transparent financial accounting system, and
efficiently implementing the first stage of the equitisation process.
However, SOEs have exposed their weaknesses and limitations: low efficiency
in production and business operations, which have not been commensurate with
their own potential and the government's support; debt burdens, slow
technological renovation, and major labour surplus. Many SOEs have failed to
practise autonomy in business operations and shown weaknesses in management.
The process of equitising, assigning, selling, contracting and leasing SOEs
was conducted slowly while SOEs structures proved irrational.
The plenum pointed to these weaknesses and limitations of SOEs, which have
resulted from objective reasons but mainly subjective causes, namely the
State's loose control and management, insufficient and inaccurate perception
of SOEs' role as well as the guideline on public corporate restructuring and
development. There have also been impediments to the State's management of
SOEs.
Administrative reforms have proceeded slowly, and many mechanisms and
policies unsuitable to a socialist-oriented market mechanism, have failed to
give a strong impetus to both businesses and employees; these have also
inhibited the autonomy of SOEs. Strong determination are not seen in the
organisation and guidance of implementation, which are less effective and
efficient as well as short of inspection and supervision. Too many key
managers of these enterprises are not only under qualified for their
positions but have also at times shown irresponsibility.
In order to continue restructuring SOEs and raising the efficiency of their
operations, the plenum reiterated the Party's viewpoint on the leading role
of the public economic sector (of which SOEs act as the centrepiece) in
tandem with persisting in the socialist orientation, national socio-economic
stabilisation and development. It is a must to restructure the state-owned
corporate sector, with a focus on crucial branches and domains as well as
important regions. SOEs must constantly increase their business efficiency,
strive to command a large market share in crucial service sectors,
strengthen the dominance of the state-owned corporate sector in the national
economy in general. SOEs must operate along a market mechanism, holding
autonomy, bearing fiscal responsibility, and making efforts to improve
competitiveness and co-operation with businesses of other economic sectors.
The State will give necessary, conditional, and time-limit protection to
some important branches, sectors and products. However, the State is
determined to phase out subsidies while still carrying out policies to
support branches, sectors products which are given priority for development.
The re-structuring, renovating and development of SOEs as well as the
increase of efficiency of their operations must be conducted under the
principle that what is clear and already defined in the Party's resolutions
must be done quickly and resolutely, and that what is not yet clear must be
done on a trial basis to test effectiveness before proceeding in full. Party
leadership must be strengthened at all levels and services, and the
effectiveness of the Party organisation at the grassroots level must be
raised, while the role of workers as a master and activities of the trade
unions must be enhanced in order to ensure effective implementation of the
Party's resolutions and the enforcement of the State's laws at State-owned
enterprises.
The plenum also set tasks for five years between now and 2005, namely to
basically complete the restructuring of remaining SOEs and renovating their
operations and clearly defining corporate types so as to devise proper
policies and take effective measures to apply company regulations on wholly
government-invested businesses to basically complete the equitisation of
those SOEs that the government needs not to hold the total investment
capital; to streamline State-owned corporations and raise the efficiency of
their operations; to form a number of economic conglomerates; to revise
mechanisms and policies, making them a complete legal framework, creating a
fair business environment in a market mechanism for businesses in all
economic sectors, helping the State-owned corporate sector to bring into
full play its autonomy, and bear self-responsibility in production and
business operation; to ensure corporate financial transparency through the
settlement of bad and overdue debts and labour surplus; to take an important
step of technological and managerial renovation and modernisation in almost
all SOEs; and to increase investment in developing and setting up SOEs in
essential and capable areas and sectors.
The plenum focused on discussing and working out major measures to realise
these tasks.
The third plenum of the Party Central Committee accomplished its agenda as
planned, with the approval of important documents to concretise the
resolution of the Ninth National Party congress.
The Party Central Committee called on the entire Party and people to
continue promoting the tradition of unity, overcoming every difficulty and
challenge to seize opportunities and advance forward to successfully
implement the resolution of the third plenum of the Party Central Committee.
(VNA)
---------------------------
Vietnamese, Indonesian presidents assure of further bilateral ties
Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong and Indonesian President Megawati
Sukarnoputri have expressed their determination to continue promoting
bilateral co-operative relations between the two countries by boosting
exchange in commerce, investment, tourism, and culture. They also agreed to
step up efforts for a resolution of the continental shelf issue between the
two nations.
The two Presidents began their talks in Hanoi on the morning of August 22.
President Luong welcomed President Megawati's first working visit to Vietnam
after establishing a new government in Indonesia. He once again
congratulated Megawati on her election as president of Indonesia and
expressed his belief that under the leadership of President Megawati, the
Indonesian people would gain even greater achievements in building Indonesia
into a stable, developed, and prosperous country.
President Luong described the visit as an important event, marking a new
stage in the development of the two countries' traditional friendly and
multi-faceted, co-operative relations which had been fostered by President
Ho Chi Minh and President Sukarno. He affirmed Vietnam's desire to continue
developing its co-operation and friendship with Indonesia, a major country
playing an important role in South East Asia, for the interest of the two
countries and the region as a whole.
President Megawati said she believed that the visit would contribute to the
expansion of relations between the two countries. She thanked the Vietnamese
State, government and people for their warm welcome.
In an atmosphere of friendship and mutual understanding, President Luong and
President Megawati informed each other of the situation in their respective
countries, discussed measures to promote co-operation between the two
nations as well as within the Association of South East Asian Nations, the
region, and the world. They also exchanged views on international and
regional issues of mutual concern.
President Megawati praised Vietnam's policy of renovation and open-door
foreign policy for accelerating the country's integration into the region
and the world. She hailed the great achievements gained by Vietnam in the
process of renovation over the past 15 years, and the country's important
contributions to peace, stability, co-operation, and development in South
East Asia.
The two presidents expressed satisfaction at the outcome of President
Megawati's visit which, they both believed, would contribute to further
strengthening and promoting the traditional friendly and co-operative ties
between the two countries, meeting the aspirations and benefits of the two
peoples, as well as for peace, stability, co-operation, development, and
prosperity in the region and the world.
President Megawati invited President Luong to visit Indonesia. President
Luong accepted the invitation with pleasure. The visit will be arranged
later through diplomatic channels.
The talks took place in an atmosphere of friendship and mutual
understanding, thus reflecting the fine sentiments and results of
co-operation in various fields between the two nations. (VNA)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vietnam, Indonesia to continue boosting co-operation
Vietnam and Indonesia will seek ways to develop traditional relations in
economics, commerce, and other fields, said Prime Minister Phan Van Khai
during his meeting with Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri in Hanoi
on August 22.
Mr Khai told the Indonesian President, who arrived in Hanoi earlier in the
day for an official visit to Vietnam, that the two nations will co-operate
with each other in supplying rice, resuming the Hanoi-Jakarta air route,
signing documents on the continental shelf and granting visa exemptions to
those citizens of the two countries who hold ordinary passports.
He welcomed President Sukarnoputri's visit as a vivid manifestation of the
friendship and co-operation between the two countries.
The PM affirmed the fine traditional relationship between Vietnam and
Indonesia which was fostered by President Ho Chi Minh and President Sukarno.
He expressed his thanks to the Indonesian government and people for their
valuable assistance to Vietnam's resistance war for national independence.
He said he believed that the Indonesian people would, under the leadership
of President Megawati, gain more achievements in socio-economic development.
President Megawati and PM Khai both expressed their desire to continue
boosting bilateral economic-commercial and investment co-operation between
the two nations for the benefit of both peoples. (VNA)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vietnam, Indonesia sign rice supply agreement
An agreement on rice supply between Vietnam and Indonesia was signed in
Hanoi during the one-day visit by Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri
on August 22.
Signatories to the accord were General Director of the Southern Food
Corporation Duong Thi Ngoc Trieu of Vietnam and Director of the Indonesia
National Reserve Department Widjanarko Puspoyo.
President Tran Duc Luong and his Indonesian counterpart witnessed the
signing ceremony.
President Luong and his wife held a luncheon in honour of the Indonesian
President, her husband and entourage.
President Megawati left Hanoi on the afternoon of August 22, successfully
concluding her visit to Vietnam. (VNA)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
President sends condolences to victims of Ukrainian mine accident
President Tran Duc Luong on August 22, extended his condolences on behalf of
Vietnam to his Ukrainian counterpart, L Kuchma, over an accident at the
Zasyadko mine near the city of Donetsk.
The August 19 calamity killed dozens of miners and injured many others.
(VNA)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Japan pledges more aid for infrastructure building
Japan supports Vietnam's renovation process and will continue to grant aid
and official development assistance (ODA) capital to Vietnam's
infrastructure construction and the improvement of people's living
conditions, says the Secretary General of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)
of Japan, Taku Yamasaki.
Mr Taku Yamasaki, who is leading a delegation of Japanese Parliament's LDP
members on a visit to Vietnam, met with Prime Minister Phan Van Khai during
a reception in Hanoi on the afternoon of August 22.
Mr Yamasaki expressed his pleasure at the achievements the Vietnamese people
have made over more than 10 years of renovation.
He stressed that, in his capacity as LDP secretary general and president of
the Japan-Vietnam Parliamentarians Friendship League (JVPFL), he would do
his utmost to promote the relations between the two countries as well as
between the LDP and the Communist Party of Vietnam.
PM Khai thanked Taku Yamasaki and the JVPFL for their good sentiments and
great contributions to Vietnam.
He emphasised that Japan has granted the most ODA for Vietnam's
infrastructure construction andsocio-economic development. Japan's
non-refundable aid has also helped Vietnam implement a vitally important
hunger elimination and poverty reduction programme.
The PM further noted that although the gross domestic product had doubled
after 10 years of renovation, Vietnam was still a poor country and hoped to
receive more support from the Japanese government and parliamentarians.
Also on this occasion, PM Khai asked Taku Yamasaki to convey his invitation
of PM J Koizumi to visit Vietnam at a convenient time. (VNA)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASEAN Information Sub-committee holds conference in Hanoi
The third conference of the ASEAN Information Sub-committee is being held in
Hanoi from August 22-24 to review the implementation of information
co-operation projects in the 2000-01 fiscal year and to discuss projects to
be carried out in the 2001-02 year.
Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Tran Chien Thang, and
45 representatives of 10 ASEAN member countries' information and mass media
agencies as well as the ASEAN Secretariat are attending the conference.
Information co-operation among the Association of South East Asian Nations
(ASEAN) members aims to increase people's understanding by introducing
images of the of ASEAN region to the world.
The ASEAN Information Sub-committee has been implementing a number of
regional co-operation projects in the 2000-01 period, particularly those on
disseminating information about ASEAN.
The projects, approved by the ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information
(ASEAN-COCI) and ASEAN Standing Committee (ASC), receive funding from the
ASEAN Culture Fund (ACF), which annually grants around US $1 million to
these projects.
The ASEAN Information Sub-committee - one of the two ASEAN-COCI
sub-committees - was set up in 1999 to promote information co-operation
among ASEAN member countries.
The countries in ASEAN are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. (VNA)
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