Newly-elected PM has first meeting with HCMC’s leaders

Ho Chi Minh City is the first locality that Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and other Government members visit and work after taking their duties.
Newly-elected PM has first meeting with HCMC’s leaders ảnh 1 Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the meeting with leaders of Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: SGGP)
On the morning of May 13, PM Pham Minh Chinh, Member of the Politburo, as the head of the Government delegation had a meeting with HCMC.

The delegation includes Mr. Truong Hoa Binh, Former Member of the Politburo, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister; Mr. Le Minh Khai, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Prime Minister; Mr. Le Van Thanh, Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Prime Minister; Mr. Tran Van Son, Chairman of the Government Office; Mr. Nguyen Chi Dung, Minister of Planning and Investment; Mr. Nguyen Van The, Minister of Transport; Mr. Tran Hong Ha, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment; Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung, Minister of Information and Communications; Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nghi, Minister of Construction.

On the side of the government of HCMC, there were Mr. Nguyen Van Nen, Member of the Politburo, Secretary of HCMC Party Committee; Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phong, Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of HCMC; Ms. Nguyen Thi Le, Deputy Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee, Chairwoman of the People's Council of HCMC; Mr. Nguyen Ho Hai, Deputy Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee.

Speaking at the opening of the meeting, PM Pham Minh Chinh said that HCMC was the first locality that the Government visited and worked with after being consolidated.

According to the PM, based on reports and proposals of HCMC, the Government Standing Committee and relevant Government members had discussed thoroughly. In this meeting, the Government and HCMC would discuss issues of mutual concern to seek solutions.

“The contents of the meeting are numerous and rich, requiring high quality, so it is recommended that all participants focus their minds and thoughts on discussing and addressing directly the issues," the PM stated clearly the spirit of the meeting.

Reporting to the delegation, Chairman of the HCMC People's Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong expressed his honor when the PM, deputy prime ministers, and the Government delegation had prioritized HCMC as the first locality in the country to meet after taking the position of the heads of the Government.

"This is a great motivation and encouragement for HCMC to carry out the task of socio-economic development in the coming time," Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phong affirmed and informed the delegation about the socio-economic situation, as well as the goals and tasks of the city in the coming time.

Newly-elected PM has first meeting with HCMC’s leaders ảnh 2 Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phong, Chairman of the People's Committee of HCMC, speaks at the meeting with PM Pham Minh Chinh. (Photo: SGGP)
Especially, he proposed and recommended the Government some contents to ensure the development of HCMC in the coming time. Among these contents are recommendations involving the hierarchy and decentralization for HCMC; difficulties and problems, along with proposals related to the implementation of Resolution No.54/2017 of the National Assembly on piloting specific mechanisms and policies for the development of HCMC; the equitization and operation of State-owned enterprises.

At the same time, HCMC also made specific recommendations on medium-term public investment from 2021 to 2025, including the proposal to add medium-term capital from the central budget to support the city to balance investment capital for key construction projects and projects with regional connectivity, which are significant for the promotion of fast and sustainable socio-economic development.

Especially, there are also many proposals related to Thu Duc City, including the approval for the building of specific projects, mechanisms, and policies to develop Thu Duc City; infrastructure development and investment attraction to develop Thu Duc City, along with the proposal to resolve and accelerate the phase two of the Intel Products Vietnam Project.
As for hierarchy and decentralization for HCMC, the city proposed the Government approving the policy of assigning the Ministry of Home Affairs to preside and coordinate with HCMC and central ministries and agencies to soon develop the project to issue a Decree to replace Decree No.93/2001 on the hierarchy of some fields for HCMC in the second quarter of this year. Currently, some contents of Decree No.93 are no longer appropriate and do not create favorable mechanisms for the development of HCMC.

Regarding difficulties and problems in implementing Resolution No.54/2017 of the National Assembly on specific policies for the development of HCMC, the city has four recommendations:

Firstly, the city proposed the PM to support the policy and direct the Ministry of Finance to preside the completion of the project on adjusting the budget retention rate for HCMC and submit it to the competent authorities for approval in 2021. Specifically, the city proposed adjusting the budget retention rate in the period from 2022 to 2025 to 23 percent, to increase budget revenue submitted to the Central government and create a premise for the city to develop quickly and sustainably.

Secondly, it proposed the PM issuing a Decision on the list of State-owned enterprises to be equitized in the 2021-2025 period and a plan on the restructuring of State-owned enterprises in the 2021-2025 period, as a basis for the city to implement.

Thirdly, it proposed the Government issuing a Decree guiding the transfer of the right to represent the ownership of State capital in enterprises, including regulations on the transfer of the right to represent the ownership of capital between enterprises with the same ownership representative agency and the transfer the one-member limited liability company with 100 percent of charter capital invested by the State-owned enterprises to the ownership representative agency.

Fourthly, as for asset management of State-owned enterprises and joint-venture companies with historical, architectural, and national security value, the city proposed the PM approving the policy of establishing a 100-percent State-owned enterprise in HCMC to receive and manage four hotels under the Saigon Tourism Corporation and joint-venture capital contributions when State-owned enterprises, including Saigontourist, are equitized. Another option is not to equitize Saigontourist when the PM approves the list of State-owned enterprises to be equitized in the 2021-2025 period.

According to the Decision, Saigontouris is on the list of State-owned enterprises to be equitized, the State holds over 50 percent to less than 65 percent of the charter capital. Meanwhile, Saigontourist is managing four hotels with historical, architectural, and artistic values that need to be preserved in the downtown, comprising Ben Thanh - Rex Hotel, Cuu Long - Majestic Hotel, Hoan Cau - Continental Hotel, and Kim Do Hotel.

State-owned enterprises subject to equitization in HCMC have made 29 joint-venture capital contributions by land-use rights with foreign partners to establish joint-venture companies. The land lots used by joint-venture companies also have an important role in ensuring national security and defense in the immediate and long term. Therefore, the State must manage these four hotels and the capital contributions in these joint venture companies.

In terms of medium-term public investment in the period from 2021 to 2025, HCMC proposed the Government and the PM approving the adjustment of the planned capital level for public investment in the medium-term public investment plan for the 2021-2025 period from the investment capital sources that HCMC can mobilize following its balancing capacity and demand need, which is more than VND261.96 trillion.

Involving Thu Duc City, HCMC also made three proposals:

Firstly, for Thu Duc City to truly become a new growth motivation for HCMC and the whole Southern economic region, HCMC proposed the PM to direct central ministries and agencies to coordinate with the city to develop the project on the specific policies for Thu Duc City and submit to the Government in the second quarter of this year.

Secondly, HCMC proposed the PM to allow it to continue to adjust the infrastructure construction project of the Northern residential area and complete the North-South arterial road according to the previous approval of the PM to supplement the construction of four bridges; dredge canals and dig the central lake and new canals into the Build-Transfer project of technical infrastructure for the Northern residential area and complete the North-South arterial road. The above additional works will be balanced payment from the expenses saved during the construction of infrastructure of the project and from the amount of money that the investor must pay additionally (if any) in accordance with the audit results of the State Auditor when identifying again the value of land use rights of previously-allocated land lots.

Thirdly, the city proposed the PM approving the investor's proposal for phase 2 of the project of Intel Products Vietnam on incentives for its plan to increase investment capital.

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