Quang Ninh Province’s coal industry will be a key driver of the province’s economy during the global economic crisis, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said at the weekend.

To reach that end, Dung urged the province and industry to speed up administrative reforms and intensify investments in key projects while ensuring social welfare for locals, especially those in the poorest Ba Che District.

In addition to the coal industry, the PM noted the province’s other strengths, calling on the local administration to take concrete measures in support of enterprises in electricity, cement and engineering to boost production and exports.

“Local authorities should… tap its strengths in industry and tourism to maintain economic growth” during the global economic downturn, Dung said.

Quang Ninh was among Vietnam’s fastest-growing economies in 2008 despite natural disasters and inflation, with gross domestic product growth estimated at 13.2 percent while industrial production was forecast to increase 14.2 percent for the year.

The province’s 2008 annual per-capita income is expected to reach US$1,206, while its poverty rate is tipped to fall to 5 percent.

Source: VNA