Party General Secretary To Lam’s speech at national conference on legal reform and development of private economy

Addressing  a national conference, held in person and online on May 18, with the attention of  more than 1,5 million Party members, to disseminate and to implement the Politburo’s resolutions on legal reform and  private sector development, Party General Secretary To Lam stated that Vietnam needs a comprehensive, profound and synchronous reform to achieve fast and sustainable development.

The Party leader was quoted by the Government News as saying at the conference that the Politburo has adopted four Resolutions on science and technology, innovation and digital transformation; international integration; private economy development; and law making and enforcement, which will play a pivotal role in creating a strong impetus for Vietnam to "take off" in the new development stage.

In pursuit of socialist-oriented market economy, it is imperative to bring into full use of all resources to achieve rapid and sustainable development, the Party Chief said.

The Resolution No. 68 on private economy development, issued by the Politburo, marks an important step forward in the Party's theoretical thinking and leadership as it identifies private economy as the most important of the national economy, according to the Vietnamese leader.

This is the profound change in strategic mindset as private economy is now considered a pillar of development, together with State economy and collective economy, creating a solid "tripod" for an economy of independence, self-reliance and international integration, he said.

Private economy development is not just an economic need but also a "political imperative" to strengthen national competitiveness and resilience amid volatile global context, the Party leader stressed.

Resolution 68 has set out the requirements for perfecting institutions to protect the rights to property and freedom of business, and build a transparent and stable investment environment; unlocking resources in land, credit, market, technology; removing institutional and policy bottlenecks; promoting innovation through developing a startup ecosystem, supporting private enterprises to invest in research, participating in the global value chain; and at the same time building a contingent of modern entrepreneurs who are not only good at business but also have political mettle, professional ethics and aspiration to contribute to the nation, he noted.

The Resolution affirms that Vietnamese entrepreneurs are soldiers on the economic front, laying foundation for comprehensive transformation of policies for private economy development, from "recognition" to "protection, encouragement and promotion", from "supportive role to leading development", according to the Party leader.

In the face of the explosion of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and widespread digital transformation, the word has witnessed fundamental transformation of development model. Against this backdrop, the Politburo issued Resolution No. 57 clearly identifying science and technology, innovation and digital transformation as a strategic breakthrough and a major driving force for accelerating modernization process, innovating national governance model and promoting rapid and sustainable development, Mr. To Lam added.

According to him, science and technology, innovation and digital transformation is not just a supportive tool. It must become foundation for development and a key driver for industrialization and modernization in the new era.

This is the profound and comprehensive revolution across all aspects of the society, requiring strong innovation spirit, drastic, synchronous and consistent actions, he said, adding that all old thinking and passive working methods need to be eliminated so as not to hinder the development process.

To progress quickly and steadily in the new era, there is no other way than science, technology and innovation, said the General Secretary, calling for greater determination, stronger actions, and more creativeness to truly turn science and technology into the foundation and key driving force to bring the country to new heights.

In the new stage of development, the perfection of legal system is a vital factor determining the success of the nation, the Party leader confirmed.

From that perspective, the Resolution No. 66, issued by the Politburo, identifies that radical innovation in law making and enforcement is the core content and foundation for building a socialist law-governed State of Vietnam in the new era, he stated.

Laws must be consistent, transparent, stable, feasible and highly anticipated, said the General Secretary.

The Resolution identifies three major orientations: perfecting institutions in key areas such as State apparatus, market economy, human rights, investment environment, innovation of law-making process, capacity improvement in law enforcement, and enhancement of accountability, according to the Party leader.

The reform spirit throughout the Resolution is to fundamentally transform the thinking of law-making from "management" to "service", from passive to proactive and creative, he said, adding that laws must be one step ahead, linked to digital transformation, transparency, and maximum convenience for people and businesses.

He further noted that decentralization and delegation of authority must be clear, linked to responsibility, eliminating the "ask - give" mechanism and local interests.

"Resolution 66 is a call for profound institutional reform, aiming to build a modern, substantive legal system that serves the people, while creating sustainable momentum for the cause of building a prosperous, democratic, equitable and civilized Viet Nam in the 21st century," stressed the Party leader.

Resolution No. 59 of the Politburo was issued in the context of rapidly changing world, rising strategic competition among major powers, and global challenges such as climate change, epidemics, non-traditional security. The Fourth Industrial Revolution, digital transformation and green economy are reshaping the global development model, according to the Party leader.

He cited the Resolution as stating that international integration is a strategic driving force. It is not merely opening up and exchange but a comprehensive cause that requires activeness, courage and comprehensive adaptability capacity.

People and businesses are placed at the centers and creative subjects of international integration process under the leadership of the Party and unified governance of the State, he stressed.

In the cause of international integration, internal strengths from the economy, institutions, culture and human resources play a decisive role while external resources are supplementary sources, he added.

International integration must be comprehensive and extensive while independence and self-reliance must be maintained enhanced, the Party chief said.

The Resolution targets to focus on strengthening strategic partnerships, taking full use of international integration to improve the quality of human resources and to participate deeper into the global value chain, according to the Party leader.

International integration in the new context requires innovative mindset, drastic and flexible actions, making the most use of opportunities for rapid and sustainable development, the Party leader stressed.

The aforesaid four Resolutions create a system of unified strategies, which would help Vietnam to realize the goals by 2045, said the General Secretary.