Hanoi (VNA) – General Secretary of the CommunistParty of Vietnam (CPV) Nguyen Phu Trong has emphasised the need to consolidatepublic trust, under the people’s aspirations, rely on the people and win theirsupport in order to bring the country forward.

In an exclusive interview with the Vietnam News Agency on thethreshold of the the Year of the Dog, the Party leader underlined the country’soutstanding achievements in 2017 and outlined major tasks for 2018.

He said the fight against corruption has made markedprogress thanks to drastic, synchronous, methodical and firm measures, in thespirit of “words matching up with actions.”

In 2017, many serious cases of corruption and economic crimesinvolving incumbent and former senior officials were discovered and brought tocourt in a timely manner, he said.

In the first days of 2018, several major corruption caseshave also been brought to trial, demonstrating the drastic actions and thedetermination to carry the combat through and leave no “prohibited zone” in theprevention and fight against the evil, the Party chief stressed.

Regarding the personnel work in 2017, General SecretaryTrong said the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, the Secretariat and theParty Central Committee’s Inspection Commission imposed disciplinary measureson many Party Committees and Party organisations of different levels, as wellas officials and Party members, including those holding high positions, fortheir violation of the law.

However, he said, it is even more important to prevent theroot cause of such wrongdoings by regulations, laws and policies.

“Power must be kept within mechanisms,” the Party chiefstressed.

General Secretary Trong highlighted the joyful atmosphere acrossthe country as Vietnam has fulfilled and overfulfilled all the 13socio-economic targets for the first time in the context of multiplechallenges.

The Party leader also recalled outstanding outcomes in externalaffairs, as reflected through the country’s successful hosting of APEC Year2017, the 18 high-level visits by Vietnamese leaders to 19 countries and thecountry’s attendance at eight international events. In the year, Vietnam alsowelcomed 36 heads of states and Prime Ministers of foreign countries.

Talking about key tasks in 2018, he underlined the need tocreate stronger changes in economic restructuring in tandem with growth modelreform; improve productivity and competitiveness of the national economy; and mobilise,allocate and use resources effectively.

Along with economic development, more attention should bepaid to cultural and social development, the improvement of people’s livingstandards, General Secretary Trong said. He also called for more efforts tostrengthen the Party and political system, stop and prevent the degradation of politicalideology, morality and lifestyle as well as signs of “self-evolution,” and “self-transformation”.

At the same time, the reform and streamlining of the apparatusmust continue, with more heed paid to the personnel work, he said.-VNA