Directive No. 22/2000/CT-TTg on the Strategy for Developing Export and Import of Goods and Services for the Period 2001-2010

DIRECTIVE

On the Strategy for Developing Export and Import of Goods and Services during the Period 2001-2010

In the past ten years, the field of export and import has achieved many significant accomplishments and fulfilled the goals set forth in the Strategy for Economic and Social Development during the period 1991-2000. The export turnover in 2000 is expected to increase more than five and a half times compared to 1990, reaching an average annual growth rate of 18.4%, contributing to the annual GDP growth, helping the economy overcome the crisis at the beginning of the 1990s. Exports are now a crucial outlet for many economic sectors, making a significant contribution to the country's industrialization and modernization efforts.

To prepare for the future, recently at the August 2000 session, the Government discussed and provided comments on the Draft Strategy for Developing Export and Import of Goods and Services during the period 2001-2010 presented by the Ministry of Commerce. Subsequently, the Prime Minister convened meetings with businesses nationwide to discuss measures to boost exports. The Government assesses that although many achievements have been made, work in export and import, especially exports, still faces numerous challenges mainly due to: the low level of economic development in our country, weak competitiveness of goods, high production costs but poor quality; production not closely following market trends, failing to take advantage of markets to stimulate production, while the market is a vital issue for export activities; policies and mechanisms for export and import in recent years have improved positively, but have not yet truly stabilized; Ministries and sectors have not proactively resolved difficulties and obstacles for businesses.

To complete and implement the Strategy for Developing Export and Import of Goods and Services during the period 2001-2010 and to further promote exports in the coming time, the Prime Minister requests all Ministries, sectors, provincial people's committees under the central government, and businesses engaged in production and trading of export and import to thoroughly understand the basic contents and actively carry out the following tasks:

1. The Strategy for Developing Export and Import of Goods and Services during the period 2001-2010, particularly exports, must be a comprehensive acceleration strategy across multiple fields, with breakthrough steps taken firmly. The action goal for this period is to continue prioritizing the highest support for exports; creating quality products with high added value and competitiveness for export; contributing to solving employment issues, generating foreign currency reserves, meeting the requirements of national industrialization and modernization; quickly narrowing the economic development gap between our country and other countries in the region.

2. Export of goods and services during the period 2001-2010 must achieve an average annual growth rate of 15% or higher and must meet the following requirements:

a) The export structure must be strongly transformed towards increasing processed and manufactured products, focusing on products with high technological and intellectual content; at the same time, attention must be paid to exploiting major products using local raw materials, labor-intensive, and in demand both domestically and internationally; simultaneously, every possible source of exportable goods must be tapped; striving for trade balance in the years 2009-2010 and achieving a trade surplus after 2010.

b) Emphasis must be placed on enhancing the added value and quality of each exported product; reducing the export of crude processed goods, increasing the proportion of deeply processed goods using new technology; reducing processing and promoting the production of export goods using high-quality domestic raw materials and new technology; improving infrastructure systems for breeding, planting, and utilizing high-yield, high-quality seeds and appropriate processing technologies, along with environmental protection measures; there must be regional raw material planning for each group of products; production management procedures must be reorganized scientifically and efficiently; gradually establishing national quality standards for export goods with the label "Made in Vietnam".

c) Export products must meet diverse market demands worldwide, particularly quality and design requirements. Each type of goods must establish key markets and focus on expanding these markets, while proactively expanding into other markets through diversification and diversification of trade relations; specific strategies must be developed for each market and gradually reduce exports through intermediary markets. The general direction is to utilize all possibilities to maintain a reasonable export share in existing Asian markets, particularly the Japanese market, significantly increase direct exports to large purchasing markets such as the United States and Western Europe, penetrate and gradually increase the export share in Eastern European, Russian, CIS, and American and African markets.

Market work and trade promotion are of great importance and must be vigorously implemented to create a favorable international environment for exports. Trade promotion programs and market expansion initiatives need to be detailed and linked to diplomatic activities, leveraging diplomacy to support the signing of framework Agreements, Agreements, and long-term Contracts with significant value with countries, international organizations, and major markets to ensure stable outlets and thereby provide a basis for investment in technological upgrades, increasing domestic value-added, and export product value.

According to their functions, Ministries, sectors, and Vietnamese representative offices abroad must intensify diplomatic activities, strengthen international cooperation to expand export markets. Industry associations must play an active role in coordinating business efforts and supporting businesses in market and customer search activities; developing and agreeing on action programs to protect, enhance reputation, and common interests of the association, each member, and the country in international market competition.

3. Imports must be strictly directed; the average growth rate of imports for the period 2001-2010 should be maintained at 14% per year; emphasis should be placed on importing high technology to meet the requirements of processing industries for agriculture, forestry, aquatic products, and light industry production; at the same time, it must be linked with the development and utilization of technologies, seedlings, and new materials produced domestically.

Limit the importation of products that have been produced domestically and have quality standards meeting national and international criteria; strengthen access to technology supply markets and investment opportunities such as Western Europe, the United States, and Japan.

Policies and mechanisms for managing imports during this phase must be reviewed to be consistent with the progress of implementing international integration commitments made by the Government to international organizations, regional organizations, and other multilateral and bilateral agreements.

4. Currently, the role and capacity of export-oriented service sectors and foreign currency earning services have not been fully evaluated; these must be considered as export potentials that need to be strengthened during the 2001-2010 period, focusing on areas such as tourism, labor export, postal and telecommunications services, financial-banking-insurance services, cargo transportation by air, sea, and rail; the development direction of these areas needs to be reflected in specific programs, with particular attention given to investing in tourism to quickly make it a leading economic sector.

5. To achieve the aforementioned goals and requirements, relevant ministries, departments, provincial people's committees under the central government must coordinate with the Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of Planning and Investment to determine the product and service structure for each industry and locality according to market demands; based on this, develop targeted export programs, clearly defining production capacity, policies, specific growth rates, and export markets for goods, so that within a short period, competitive export products can be created.

Targeted export programs, once approved by competent authorities and put into operation, will be prioritized for state credit and bank loans to implement them, and will enjoy investment policy incentives if they are effective in production and business.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Finance, and the State Bank of Vietnam need to proactively plan the allocation of credit sources for production and export programs during the 2001-2010 period, ensuring there is no shortage of investment capital for producing export goods.

6. In addition to developing the aforementioned export programs, the Ministry of Trade shall take the lead in coordinating with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment, and the State Bank of Vietnam to review and improve policies, mechanisms, and specific measures to meet the requirements of creating export goods and promoting exports. These policies and mechanisms must comprehensively address land, investment, finance, credit, etc., to effectively support the aforementioned targeted export programs; priority should be given to ensuring that domestic enterprises producing and supplying raw materials for export goods receive no less favorable treatment than those producing export goods; priority funding should be allocated to establish and operate an Export Credit Support Fund by 2001, aiming to form an Import-Export Bank before 2005.

In the near term, in 2000 and early 2001, efforts must focus on resolving difficulties and obstacles raised by enterprises regarding customs, services, taxes, especially value-added tax.

To actively integrate into the international economy, it is necessary to study and promulgate regulatory legal documents based on principles concerning tariffs, the environment, health and epidemic safety, as well as bilateral trade agreement principles, supporting major domestic production sectors, particularly agricultural production; mechanisms to counter monopolies, combat commercial fraud, and control border trade activities should also be established.

Request the Ministry of Trade and relevant ministries and departments to report to the Prime Minister by the end of the first quarter of 2001 on specific export programs and the completion of the aforementioned policies./.