Closing of the 2nd Extraordinary Session, 15th National Assembly

Attending the closing session were: General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, former General Secretary Nong Duc Manh; President Nguyen Xuan Phuc; Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh; former National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan; Standing member of the Secretariat Vo Van Thuong; Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Do Van Chien...

Chairing and delivering the closing speech, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue said that after 4 working days, National Assembly deputies had focused on lively discussions, contributing many profound, enthusiastic, responsible and high-quality opinions with nearly 350 National Assembly deputies speaking through 3 group discussion sessions and 7 plenary sessions. National Assembly and Government agencies have made efforts to synthesize, absorb, and fully and seriously explain the opinions of National Assembly deputies.

Review and decide on 5 major, important and urgent issues

The National Assembly reviewed and voted with high consensus to pass the draft Law on Medical Examination and Treatment (amended) and 3 resolutions including: National master plan for the period 2021 - 2030, vision to 2050; Continuing to implement a number of policies in COVID-19 prevention and control and using registration certificates for drugs and pharmaceutical ingredients that expired from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2024; Adjusting the 2022 re-borrowing capital plan of localities, supplementing the 2021 regular expenditure estimates from foreign non-refundable aid capital, adjusting the 2021 unused budget estimates of the General Department of Taxation, the General Department of Customs and transferring the 2021 COVID-19 prevention and control funding source of localities to the 2022 budget year.

Regarding personnel work, the National Assembly considered and decided to dismiss two National Assembly deputies from their duties, approved the dismissal of two Deputy Prime Ministers, and approved the appointment of Mr. Tran Hong Ha and Mr. Tran Luu Quang as Deputy Prime Ministers, ensuring standards, conditions, and correct procedures with high consensus and unanimity.

The National Assembly Chairman emphasized that in 2022, in the context of the world situation having many rapid, complicated and unpredictable changes; domestically, difficulties and challenges outweigh opportunities and advantages, the economy is subject to negative impacts both internally and externally; under the leadership of the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, the Secretariat, the solidarity, consensus, and efforts of the entire political system and the support of international friends, we have achieved very important and quite comprehensive achievements.

Macroeconomic stability continued to be maintained; inflation was controlled, the average consumer price index for the whole year increased by only 3.15% within the National Assembly's target; GDP growth reached 8.02%, the highest level in the past 10 years. Major balances of the economy were ensured. State budget revenue reached 1,804 trillion VND, exceeding the estimate by 27.76% and increasing by 14.12% over the same period in 2020. Total import-export turnover reached 732.5 billion USD, the trade surplus for the 7th consecutive year, reaching 11.2 billion USD.

The fields of culture, society, national defense, security, foreign affairs, environmental protection, and climate change adaptation have seen many changes and many aspects have been strengthened. Administrative reform, inspection, examination, citizen reception, complaint and denunciation settlement, especially the work of preventing and combating corruption, negativity, practicing thrift, combating waste, etc. have seen many innovations, many aspects have made breakthroughs and left outstanding marks, contributing to socio-economic development and receiving high consensus and support from the people nationwide.

In 2022, the National Assembly, the National Assembly Standing Committee, National Assembly agencies, and People's Councils at all levels will continue to innovate and improve the quality and efficiency of their operations in terms of legislation, supervision, and decision-making on important issues of the country and localities.

The National Assembly, the Government, the Supreme People's Court, and the Supreme People's Procuracy have focused on building and perfecting development institutions, reviewing and removing difficulties for production and business, unlocking resources, creating new momentum for socio-economic development, and improving the effectiveness and efficiency of law enforcement.

The National Assembly held two regular sessions and one extraordinary session, passed 12 draft laws, gave opinions on eight other draft laws, issued many important resolutions, especially Resolution 43 to promote socio-economic recovery and development and many resolutions to improve infrastructure, pilot specific mechanisms and policies for a number of provinces and centrally run cities.

“The National Assembly’s consideration and decision on five major, important and urgent issues at this second extraordinary session will also contribute to promptly resolving many difficulties and obstacles in practice, while at the same time creating an important premise for carrying out tasks in 2023 and the following years,” the National Assembly Chairman stated.

Creating new development spaces and growth drivers

In his closing speech, the National Assembly Chairman emphasized that 2023 is the mid-term year, a pivotal year of great importance in implementing the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress and the 5-year plan for 2021-2025.

The international and regional situation continues to evolve in a complex and unpredictable manner. The global COVID-19 pandemic has not ended and its consequences will have to be overcome for many years. Strategic competition between major countries is fierce, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict is still complicated. Global economic growth tends to slow down, many countries have high inflation, showing signs of stagnation or recession, forcing the need to extend monetary policy tightening and raise interest rates.

Domestically, inflationary pressures, exchange rates, and interest rates are increasing; production and business face many challenges; export orders, jobs, and labor of many enterprises, especially in labor-intensive sectors such as textiles, footwear, wood, electronics - electrical appliances, etc. are shrinking; the industrial production index in the fourth quarter of 2022 increased by only 3%, a sharp decrease compared to the 10.9% increase in the third quarter of 2022. Newly registered capital, additional capital and FDI capital contribution in 2022 decreased by 19% compared to the previous year. The growth rate of exports and state budget revenue is on a downward trend.

The shortcomings, limitations and weaknesses of the economy that have accumulated for a long time and have not been fundamentally resolved are becoming more and more evident in the current difficult situation. The capital absorption capacity and liquidity of the economy have declined, the disbursement of public investment capital and some components of the Socio-Economic Recovery and Development Program and national target programs are still very slow. The stock market, corporate bonds and real estate, after strong fluctuations, have exposed risks and violations that must be handled, and are at risk of stagnation and "freezing". Meanwhile, the competitiveness and resilience of the economy are still modest; natural disasters, epidemics and climate change continue to develop in a complex and unpredictable manner.

In that context, the National Assembly Chairman stated that all levels, sectors, units, enterprises and people need to thoroughly grasp and closely follow the resolutions and conclusions of the Party Central Committee, Resolution 68/2022/QH15 of the National Assembly on the socio-economic development plan for 2023; in particular, it is necessary to continue to innovate thinking, have new approaches, methods and solutions, be more active, proactive, creative and drastic in direction and administration; both focus on overcoming and successfully resolving difficulties and challenges and carrying out regular and urgent tasks, especially resolving stagnant stages and aspects, and implementing medium- and long-term goals and tasks with synchronous, systematic, fundamental, synchronous and systematic solutions.

The National Assembly Chairman emphasized the importance of strengthening the perfection of development institutions, focusing on removing difficulties, promptly supporting production and business for people and enterprises, creating new development spaces and growth drivers.

Along with that, it is important to attach importance to cultural development on par with economic, political and social development; urgently research and develop a national target program on culture to revive and develop culture as directed by the General Secretary at the National Cultural Conference. Effectively implement social security policies, sustainable poverty reduction, ensure progress, social justice, protect the environment, care for the material and spiritual life of the people, especially those with meritorious services, poor households, and those in particularly difficult circumstances in remote, border, island and ethnic minority areas.

Strengthening potential, consolidating and maintaining national defense and security; promoting and enhancing foreign relations, improving the effectiveness and quality of international integration; ensuring a peaceful, stable and cooperative environment for rapid and sustainable development. That is our development goal.

In the immediate future, to synchronously and effectively realize the policies of the 2nd Extraordinary Session of the 15th National Assembly, the National Assembly Chairman requested the Government, the Prime Minister, the National Assembly Standing Committee, the Nationalities Council, the National Assembly Committees, all levels, sectors, agencies in the state apparatus, the National Assembly delegations, and the National Assembly deputies to organize the rapid and timely implementation of the Laws and Resolutions that have just been passed, closely linking ideological work with organizational and personnel work to ensure compliance with the spirit of "first support, later support", "first call, all responses", "unanimity from top to bottom", "continuity across the board" that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has repeatedly emphasized.

National Assembly deputies, in appropriate forms, promptly and fully inform voters nationwide of the results of the Session; listen to, synthesize and report voters' opinions and aspirations; effectively supervise the settlement of citizens' petitions, complaints and denunciations. At the same time, proactively contribute to preparing conditions to serve the people to enjoy Spring, welcome the Lunar New Year of Quy Mao joyfully, healthily, safely and economically, create a new momentum right from the grassroots and each family, determined to successfully implement the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress; the socio-economic development plan for 2023 right from the first days and months of the new year.

According to VNA