Hanoi (VNA) – General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnamand President Nguyen Phu Trong acknowledged the country’s 2018 socio-economicdevelopment achievements but warned against self-satisfaction when attendingthe Government’s meeting with localities on December 28.

Trong noted that thecountry is still facing a lot of difficulties and challenges due tounpredictable developments in the regional and global situations, and latentrisks in the world economy, especially in finance, monetary and exports due toimpacts of trade wars, along with unsolved shortcomings and problems in theeconomy and social affairs.

The Party and Stateleader underlined several main tasks for 2019, including consolidating themacro-economy, controlling inflation, improving the capacity to respond toabnormal developments of the market, particularly the world economy,maintaining the growth pace and quality through the improvement of the businessand investment environment, and raising the productivity, quality, efficiencyand competitiveness of the economy in combination with stepping up growth modelreform and economic restructuring.

The top leaderunderlined the need to speed up administrative reform, effectively remove barriersagainst production and business activities, develop various types of markets ina synchronous manner, push ahead with the rearrangement of State-ownedenterprises, and encourage the involvement of all economic sectors at home andabroad in development investment.

It is also essentialto complete the socialist-oriented market economic institutions, pay moreattention to socio-cultural development and implement social progress andequality in every policy, Trong stated.

He emphasised thenecessity to strengthen defence and security strength, protect independence,sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation, ensure political security,social order and safety, and step up external relations activities.

He also asked forbetter building of the Party and political system, as well as better personnelwork to choose really competent officials to leading positions.

The conference heardreports on the country’s socio-economic development in 2018, examined theGovernment’s performance during the year and discussed draft Governmentresolutions on tasks for 2019.

In 2018, Vietnam hasfulfilled and surpassed all 12 socio-economic targets. The country’s GDP growthrate exceeded 7 percent, while the GDP scale reached 245 billion USD, andaverage per capita GDP rose to 2,580 USD. Exports were valued at 245 billionUSD, up 13.8 percent year-on-year, posting a trade surplus of over 7 billionUSD. The consumer price index growth was maintained at 3.54 percent. Thehousehold poverty rate decreased to 6.8 percent.-VNA