QuangNgai (VNA) – Quang Ngai should improve its investment climate in order toraise the provincial competitiveness index (PCI), which currently stands at 41st position, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said at an investment promotionconference in the central province on July 2.

Specifically,the province needs to continue reforming administrative procedures, improvingState management capacity, training labourers and ensuring the equal, publicand transparent treatment to businesses and investors, the leader added.

Besides,Quang Ngai needs to set forth clear planning schemes and economic developmentstrategies, while paying attention to developing the private economic sectorand supporting small-scale firms, he said.

Otherimportant tasks include sustainable poverty reduction and environmentalprotection, he noted.

PMPhuc pointed out that Quang Ngai has yet to optimise its potential to attractinvestors, saying the locality boasts several important sources forsocio-economic development.

Theyinclude the favourable geo-economic location, the seaport and airport system,the Dung Quat Economic Zone and the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP), the130-km coastline, special cultural and historical values and human resources,he said.

Localspecialties would create huge commercial values once they are invested properly,he added.

Helauded achievements Quang Ngai has recorded in 2018, with economic growthreaching 9.6 percent, export turnover exceeding 20 percent of the set target andstate budget collection surpassing 33.4 percent of the estimate.

Thelocality’s state budget collection stands at over 1 billion USD, ranking 13th nationwide, nearly equivalent to the accumulative number of Central Highlandsprovinces, he further said.

Besides,its per capita income was over 2,514 USD per year, equivalent to the nationalaverage, he said.

However,the State budget collection mainly relies on the Dung Quat Oil Refinery, andthe poverty rate remains high, at 9.57 percent, he said.

Theleader, therefore, asked the province to treasure investment capital, which, hesaid, is valuable to residents in difficult circumstances.

He witnessed the hand-over of investment decisions and certificates to 15projects with a combined investment capital of over 14.5 trillion VND (623.5million USD).-VNA