(VOVworld) - Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on Thursday chaired the government monthly meeting in Hanoi to review socio-economic situation for May and over the past five months. He underscored that along with defending national sovereignty, ministries and local government agencies need to ensure that socio-economic development targets set earlier are completed, regardless of tensions in the East Sea.
A report at the meeting showed that the consumer price index during the month rose 0.2 percent over April. Meanwhile, the country’s total exports in the January-May period reached approximately 58 billion USD, an increase of 15 percent over the same period last year.
At the meeting, the cabinet members held that the escalating tension in the East Sea has posed certain limitations on the country’s socio-economic development. The recent disturbances caused by some individuals who abused anti-Chinese protests to damage the property of enterprises, including FDI enterprises thus negatively impacting the investment environment.
However, they pointed out that with the drastic and timely response of the government as well as ministries and localities, the situation has been stabilised, helping the affected firms resume their normal operations.
Prime Minister Dung reiterated Vietnam's viewpoint of resolutely defending national sovereignty by peaceful measures to request China to withdraw its oil rig Haiyang 981 from Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf while maintaining a normal political and economic relations with China.
Mr. Dung said: “Amidst globalization and international integration, the world is an economy, a market. China and Vietnam are members of the WTO and the two countries are signatories of the ASEAN-China Free Trade agreement. China is the world’s second largest economy. China is VN’s neighbor. Economic and trade cooperation between Vietnam and China is obvious for mutual benefit. Vietnam will maintain its normal economic relations with China for mutual interests and development.”
In addition to peaceful measures to protect national sovereignty, Prime Minister Dung asked ministries, sectors, and localities to resolve difficulties for production, attract foreign investment, and enhance the equitization of state-owned enterprises, increase total economic demand by promptly disbursing public investment funding.