Decision No. 06/2000/NQ-CP of the Government's regular meeting in April 2000

RESOLUTION

Regular Meeting of the Government in April 2000

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On April 26 and the morning of April 27, 2000, the Government convened its regular meeting for April 2000 to discuss and adopt the following issues:

1- The Government heard the Minister of Trade present the draft Decree on Representative Offices and Branches of foreign traders and tourism enterprises in Vietnam; and heard the Chairman of the Government Office report on the summary of opinions from Government members regarding this draft Decree.

In recent years, foreign partners have increasingly established Representative Offices and Branches in our country. Therefore, it is necessary to issue regulations on Representative Offices and Branches of foreign traders and tourism enterprises in Vietnam to enhance the competitiveness of domestic enterprises in international cooperation and competition. The Government assigned the Ministry of Trade to lead, in collaboration with the Tourism General Department, the Ministry of Justice, and the Government Office to incorporate the opinions of Government members, study, and perfect this Decree, to be submitted to the Government for consideration and issuance in May 2000.

Based on classifying Representative Offices and Branches of foreign traders and tourism enterprises in Vietnam, the content of the Decree needs to thoroughly implement and combine the policy of strengthening decentralization with the mechanism for coordination among sectors and levels in managing the activities of these Representative Offices and Branches.

2- The Government heard the Chairman of the Government Office present the report summarizing the opinions of Government members on the draft Decree of the Government detailing and guiding the implementation of certain provisions of the Education Law; and heard the Ministry of Education and Training explain some issues of the draft Decree.

The Education Law, adopted at the fourth session of the tenth National Assembly on December 2, 1998, is the first legal basis for the development of education in our country. The Law has a broad scope of regulation, encompassing fundamental principles of educational activities. Therefore, detailed regulations and guidance for implementation are needed to clarify and specify the content of certain Articles of the Law, especially urgent issues in the education sector such as models of higher education institutions, salary grades for teachers, management of state budget funds for education... Assign the Ministry of Education and Training to lead, in collaboration with the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Government Office, and related ministries and sectors, to incorporate the opinions of Government members, perfect the draft Decree, and submit it to the Government for consideration and issuance in the second quarter of 2000.

3- The Government heard the Minister of Planning and Investment present the "Initial Report on Preparing the Son La Hydropower Project".

The Son La Hydropower Project is the largest hydropower project in the country. This project aims to increase power supply, participate in flood control, and supplement water during the dry season for the Red River Delta region. The project also serves to expand inland waterway transportation systems, aquaculture, tourism development, environmental improvement, resettlement planning, and create conditions for economic and social development in Son La and Lai Chau provinces. The project not only has a large scale but also involves many complex aspects that need careful examination from technical, economic, social, and national defense security perspectives... Therefore, additional time for research and evaluation is required. Assign the State Evaluation Council of the Son La Hydropower Project to collaborate with the Ministry of Industry, the Government Office, and related ministries and sectors to incorporate the opinions of Government members, continue researching the options presented in the project, and conclude on feasible solutions. Assign the Ministry of Planning and Investment to report to the National Assembly on the initial results of preparing the project in the past period and the tasks that need to be continued.

4- The Government heard the report: "Continuing to intensify the implementation of Decision 668/TTg dated August 22, 1997 on directions and measures to mitigate natural disasters in central coastal provinces" of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Assign the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Fisheries, the Government Office, and related ministries and sectors to specifically determine the tasks to be carried out, assign responsibilities, and set timelines for implementing measures to mitigate natural disasters in central provinces, to be submitted to the Prime Minister for approval in May 2000.

5- The Government heard the Sports Committee present the proposal on the Physical Culture and Sports Ordinance project; and heard the Chairman of the Government Office report on the summary of opinions from Government members regarding the draft Ordinance.

Assign the Sports Committee to collaborate with the Government Office and relevant agencies to incorporate the opinions of Government members, complete the draft Ordinance, and submit it to the Government in May 2000 for the Government to decide on submitting it to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly.

6- The Government heard the State Inspector General report on inspection work, examination, and resolution of complaints and petitions in the first quarter of 2000 by the State Inspectorate.

The Government agreed to approve this report.

7- The Government heard the Minister of Planning and Investment present the "Report on the Implementation of the Plan in April and the First Four Months of 2000".

Generally, the economic and social situation in April maintained the growth rate of the first three months of the year. Agriculture continued to develop well, industrial production grew moderately, gradually regaining its previous growth pace, and exports increased significantly compared to the same period in previous years. The Government unanimously recognizes that from the beginning of the year until now, the country's economy and society have achieved positive results across many areas of activity, notably in agriculture and poverty reduction. The people's enthusiasm and trust in the Government have been strengthened through the reform of project management methods, the implementation of integrated projects, the public disclosure of investment funds and projects for the people to know and monitor; effective guidance in addressing the aftermath of floods in central provinces; the basic completion of issuing agricultural land use certificates to farmers, while also effectively implementing the Government's Resolution on developing farmstead economies. The initial implementation of new tax laws has seen many favorable conditions, maintaining stable prices despite being the first year of implementation.

However, there are still many issues that have not been resolved promptly, such as: the situation of product consumption has not improved much, especially for some agricultural products; the execution of basic construction investment capital is low, particularly state credit capital; measures to stimulate investment have not been strongly implemented, with limited effectiveness, and consumer prices and services continue to decline.

The Government requests that ministries, sectors, and localities focus on implementing the following key tasks in the coming months:

Accelerate the progress of issuing Certificates of Land Use Rights for forestry and urban land. The Ministry of Finance and the General Department of Land Administration need to quickly agree on the budget for the national land census in 2000 so that relevant departments and levels can implement according to schedule.

Alongside the implementation of large programs and projects, it is necessary to implement support measures to ensure that projects achieve high efficiency. The development of farmstead economies needs to be oriented towards market consumption, focusing on products that are raw materials for industry and substitutes for imports such as cotton, tobacco, mulberry leaves...; for the fisheries sector, it is necessary to develop all three programs synchronously: distant water fishing, aquaculture, and seafood export along with accompanying service activities.

Effectively stimulate investment and consumption; take urgent measures to address financial obstacles for some Sugar Factories.

Promote production and consumption of products, paying particular attention to resolving difficulties in rice and coffee sales.

Evaluate and carefully consider the effectiveness of investment in developing local television stations.

Closely monitor price trends and take measures to address deflation.

Rectify and strengthen inspection of value-added tax refunds, strictly handle any malpractices; prevent state funds from being lost.

Strengthen food safety inspections. Vigorously promote the export of labor; the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs should study and develop a plan for labor export from now until 2005 to be submitted to the Government in June 2000.

Fully implement the policy of administrative reform and streamline the state management apparatus.

Implement the five-year plan for 2001-2005; continue to implement measures to guide the implementation of the 2000 plan./.