According to the program, the meeting discussed the socio-economic situation in July and the first 7 months of the year, the allocation and disbursement of public investment capital, the direction and administration of the Government, a number of key tasks in the coming time and other important contents.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Government observed a minute of silence in memory of the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

In his opening speech, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stated that last July, compatriots, comrades across the country and international friends deeply mourned the passing of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

"We have solemnly, thoughtfully and safely organized the State Funeral of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong," the Prime Minister affirmed, emphasizing that millions of people saw General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong off to his final resting place, hundreds of countries sent condolences, sent delegations to pay their respects at the State Funeral in Vietnam and more than 1,000 international delegations paid their respects at Vietnamese embassies in other countries.

This both affirms admiration and respect for the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and demonstrates appreciation for the position and prestige of our country, as the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong affirmed, "Our country has never had the foundation, potential, position and international prestige as it does today."

The Prime Minister stated that during his lifetime, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong always paid attention to the activities of the Government and regularly gave instructions to the Government and the Prime Minister, even while he was hospitalized in his final days.

On behalf of the Government, the Prime Minister sent his deepest condolences and regards to the families of victims who died due to recent natural disasters, floods and landslides.

According to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, in response to the regular and urgent requirements and tasks of the Party and State, on August 3, the Central Committee unanimously elected Comrade To Lam, Politburo member, President, former Minister of Public Security, former member of the Government, as General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam with an absolute 100% vote. On behalf of the Government, the Prime Minister warmly congratulated General Secretary and President To Lam.

Regarding some highlights of July and the first seven months, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh assessed that, in general, the world situation continues to be complicated, unpredictable, and fraught with difficulties. In the country, opportunities, advantages, difficulties, and challenges are intertwined, but there are more difficulties and challenges, especially since our country is a developing country, with a transitional economy, modest in scale, high openness, and limited resilience.

In that context, thanks to the efforts of the entire Party, army and people, the socio-economic situation in July continued to trend positively, achieving better results than in June, and overall the first 7 months were better than the same period in most areas.

Growth was promoted in all three sectors: industry, agriculture, and services. The macro economy was stable, inflation was controlled, major balances were secured, and there was a surplus. 60/63 provinces and cities had an increased industrial production index, which was a bright spot. Notably, also in July, the basic salary was increased, but inflation increased insignificantly.

However, there are still limitations, shortcomings, difficulties and challenges, such as: inflationary pressure is still high; production and business in some areas are facing many difficulties, the number of enterprises withdrawing from the market is still high; discipline and order are sometimes not strict and there is still a situation where officials and civil servants are afraid of making mistakes and avoid responsibility; security and order in some areas are potentially complicated; the lives of a part of the people are still difficult, especially in remote areas, border areas, islands...

The Prime Minister requested Government members to propose mechanisms, policies, solutions, and key areas to create breakthroughs in August, the third quarter, and the last months of the year (in addition to the contents, tasks, and comprehensive solutions for the whole year in Resolutions 01 and 02 of 2024), especially tasks and solutions to achieve the annual GDP growth target of about 7%. Along with that, prepare specific contents and projects to submit to the Politburo, the Secretariat, and preparations for the 10th Central Conference of the 13th tenure, and the 8th session of the 15th National Assembly.

PHAN THAO