Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung promised Thursday to push economic reforms and invited more foreign investment as Vietnam tries to limit the global slump’s impact on the country.

He urged regional nations to continue coordinating their economic stimulus measures and boost trade and investment to maintain regional strength.

“Deeper regional integration and increased intra-regional linkages at different levels will be the key for Asia to be not only the first continent to overcome this crisis, but also to maintain its position as the world’s most important economic locomotive,” he said, speaking through a translator.

Although Asian nations, many of which rely on exports to the US and Europe for growth, have been hit by the global financial crisis, intraregional trade had softened its impact, he said.

Dung added that Vietnam would continue to restructure its economy, promote infrastructure programs, push for administrative reforms, and put more emphasis on environmental protection.

In Vietnam, “we believe that the current crisis is… an opportunity to speed up restructuring, improve management and build the foundation for sustainable development,” he said.

Source: AFP