Quang Ninh sets record for seven years at the top of provincial competitiveness rankings

Quang Ninh held the top position for the seventh consecutive time, Long An and Dong Thap made remarkable progress, PCI of the two economic locomotives Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi still decreased.

On the morning of May 9, the Vietnam Federation of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) announced the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) rankings for 2023. This index has been conducted periodically since 2005 and is one of the indicators to assess the ability of local governments to build a business environment and attract investment.

The PCI 2023 results were based on a survey of 11,000 enterprises, including more than 9,100 domestic private companies and 1,500 FDI enterprises.

Similar to last year, PCI 2023 only mentions the 30 localities with the highest scores, to encourage focus and change efforts of leading provinces and cities.

Quang Ninh maintained the top position for the seventh consecutive year with 71.25 points. Since 2017, this locality has always taken the leading position in economic management quality with many initiatives to attract investment and administrative reform.

This province surpassed Da Nang’s previous record of 6 consecutive years at the top of the PCI rankings. This locality has made a mark in reducing administrative burdens for businesses, with the time cost component index being the highest in the country. At the same time, Quang Ninh ranked second in the business support index; third in the country in efforts to reduce the burden of unofficial costs for businesses.

However, leading localities such as Quang Ninh are showing signs of slowing down. Compared to last year, the province's total score decreased by 1.7 points, from 72.95 last year.

A corner of Ha Long city, Quang Ninh. Photo: Ngoc Thanh

Long An is the second locality, with 70.94 points, recording an improvement in score and an increase of 8 places compared to 2022. Businesses highly appreciate this locality for its efforts to cut informal costs, quality, and effectiveness of administrative procedure reform.

In addition to Quang Ninh and Long An, the provinces in the top 5 leading localities also include Hai Phong (70.34 points); Bac Giang (69.75 points) and Dong Thap (69.66 points).

Phu Tho is for the first time among the 10 provinces and cities with the best economic management quality in the country. This locality is highly appreciated by businesses for the quality of labor training.

While many localities improved their PCI rankings, Ho Chi Minh City maintained its 27th position; Hanoi dropped 8 places to 28th.

In Hanoi, in the PCI component, the indexes of land access, time costs, fair competition and labor training all decreased compared to last year. The bright spot of this locality is that the indexes of market entry and informal costs have improved.

After piloting in 2022, this year VCCI also announced the Provincial Green Index (PGI) . This index aims to support provincial and municipal authorities in environmental governance, balancing economic growth and environmental sustainability goals. The highest positions in PGI 2023 are Quang Ninh, Da Nang, Dong Nai, Hung Yen and Ho Chi Minh City.

Mr. Pham Tan Cong, Chairman of VCCI, said that this year has seen many positive changes in the governments of provinces and cities. However, the challenging economic situation is also reflected in the report when the rate of enterprises planning to expand their operations in the near future is low.

"Enterprises said they are facing many difficulties in accessing credit, finding customers, market fluctuations, shortage of skilled human resources, as well as administrative procedures," said a representative of VCCI.

According to Mr. Cong, businesses are also facing the complicated situation of climate change, causing serious consequences. External factors increase difficulties for business operations, such as geopolitical tensions, high inflation in many countries, declining global consumption and investment, and increasing protectionist and trade defense barriers.

"To support businesses' recovery, localities need to implement more substantial solutions to improve the business environment, reform administrative procedures, and cut costs," said Mr. Cong.

The VCCI Chairman added that in the context of many uncertainties and fluctuations in the world situation, businesses more than ever need stability, consistency and trust in the development and implementation of policies and laws.

Phuong Dung

Graphics : Tat Dat

Source: https://vnexpress.net/quang-ninh-lap-ky-luc-bay-nam-dung-dau-xep-hang-nang-luc-canh-tranh-cap-tinh-4743912.html