Questioning and answering questions - enthusiastic, frank, highly responsible

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man speaks at the question-and-answer session on issues related to industry and trade. Photo: Pham Kien/VNA

Make questioning an important highlight of the Session

Speaking at the opening of the question-and-answer session, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man emphasized that the question-and-answer activities at this session will continue to be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Supervisory Activities of the National Assembly and People's Councils. The National Assembly will conduct questions and answers under the responsibility of 4 Ministers and Heads of sectors, including: Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Minister of Industry and Trade, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism and State Auditor General.

The National Assembly Chairman said that the Government has assigned Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha to represent the Government to clarify issues related to the Government's operations and directly answer questions from National Assembly deputies at the end of the question-and-answer session. The National Assembly will vote to pass the Resolution on question-and-answer activities at the end of the Session. This is the basis for agencies to implement; it is also the basis for the National Assembly, the National Assembly Standing Committee, National Assembly agencies, National Assembly delegations, and National Assembly deputies to supervise. The question-and-answer session will continue to be conducted in the "quick question, short answer" format.

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man believes that, with his intelligence, high sense of responsibility, practical work experience, deep expertise and the actual situation in localities and bases, together with the performance of the functions and tasks of National Assembly deputies, the question and answer session will take place enthusiastically, in a constructive and highly responsible spirit, with a lot of information reflecting the actual situation, many proposals, recommendations and suggestions for the Government, Ministers and Heads of sectors in directing and operating, overcoming limitations, difficulties and obstacles in reality; continuing to make the question and answer activity increasingly become an important highlight of the Session, meeting the expectations of voters and people nationwide and the requirements of National Assembly deputies.

Clear solutions in the field of environmental resources

On the morning and early afternoon of June 4, under the chairmanship and direction of National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, the National Assembly conducted questions and answers on the group of natural resources and environment sectors.

The question and answer session received 49 questions and debates from delegates (including 39 questions and 10 debates from National Assembly delegates). The question and answer session was lively, frank, highly responsible, and close to the practical situation and content of the group of questions.

Through questioning, National Assembly deputies said that in recent times, State management in the field of natural resources and environment has achieved positive results. The exploitation and use of marine resources have effectively contributed to socio-economic development, ensuring national defense, security and sustainable development of the country. Legal policies on water security have been basically completed; proactively, with plans and solutions to handle and respond to drought, saltwater intrusion, and water shortages for daily life and production. Management and operations of the Minerals and Mining Industry have achieved many positive results, creating many job opportunities and increasing revenue for the State budget.

In addition, National Assembly delegates said that there are still shortcomings and limitations such as marine resources not being exploited and used effectively. Marine ecosystems, marine biodiversity and aquatic resources are declining. Water pollution, drought, saltwater intrusion, lack of water for daily life and production are increasing. Mineral policies and laws are still inadequate and inadequate. Planning, investigation, exploration, exploitation, processing and use of minerals are still lacking in synchronization and connection.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Dang Quoc Khanh fully answered the remaining issues and limitations, and provided solutions for implementation in the coming time.

One of the three major groups of issues that delegates were interested in questioning at this meeting was solutions for research, exploration, exploitation, and use of mineral resources as construction materials and precious and rare resources and minerals.

Responding to questions about the exploitation, use and management of rare earths in recent times, Minister Dang Quoc Khanh said that Vietnam currently has important strategic mineral resources and relatively large reserves: "For example, bauxite is about 5.8 billion tons, titanium is about 600 million tons. Regarding rare earths, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has also assessed the reserves at 2.7 million tons, of which the rare earth resource is estimated at about 18 million tons, or more than 20.7 million tons."

Minister Dang Quoc Khanh emphasized that in the exploitation and processing of important essential minerals, especially rare earths, deep processing and refined processing in Vietnam must be taken into account and served for Vietnam's industry.

View of the meeting. Photo: An Dang/VNA

Also at the question-and-answer session, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha; Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Minister of Construction participated in answering and clarifying a number of issues of concern to National Assembly deputies.

Concluding the question-and-answer session, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man affirmed that resource management, environmental protection, natural disaster prevention and control, and climate change response are always issues that the Party and State pay close attention to, regularly and continuously, leading and directing. The National Assembly's choice to question a group of issues in the field of natural resources and environment has met the concerns of voters and people nationwide.

Strengthening State management of e-commerce

Following the question and answer session on issues related to natural resources and environment, on the afternoon of June 4, the National Assembly moved on to the question and answer session on issues related to industry and trade.

Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien answered questions from National Assembly deputies on the second group of issues in the field of industry and trade, including: Management, supervision, and protection of consumer rights in e-commerce activities; solutions to boost export activities, promote the implementation of FTAs, and remove difficulties for businesses in the context of the world situation continuing to fluctuate in a complex and unpredictable manner. The Minister also answered questions about the implementation of policies and laws to develop supporting industries and mechanical industries, especially in serving the processing of agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products, and developing agriculture and rural areas.

Opening the question-and-answer session, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien said that industrial production has overcome the difficult period after the pandemic, gradually recovered and developed, with a breakthrough from the third quarter of last year until now, maintaining its role and growth momentum of the country's economy. Domestic trade has grown quite strongly, exceeding the set target and supporting the economy in the context of many difficulties and challenges. Goods are abundant, prices are stable, import and export have achieved a new record for turnover and trade surplus for 8 consecutive years, especially in 2023, reaching a trade surplus of 28 billion USD, 3 times higher than the previous year.

In the first five months of 2024, import-export turnover continued to increase by over 16% over the same period in 2023, with a trade surplus of over 8.1 billion USD, contributing to increasing foreign exchange reserves, stabilizing exchange rates and macroeconomic indicators. In particular, in some areas such as: e-commerce has developed very strongly with an average growth rate of 20 - 25%, among the top 5 countries in the world in terms of growth rate. The scale of e-commerce reached over 20 billion USD/year, accounting for 8% of total revenue from consumer goods nationwide.

In the question and answer session of the National Assembly deputies, the Minister of Industry and Trade focused on clarifying some issues that deputies were interested in: e-commerce; solutions to remove difficulties for businesses; promoting exports and investment in domestic goods; preferential policies for investment in industrial development...

Regarding the management of the currently flourishing e-commerce activities, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien said that e-commerce in Vietnam is facing three major challenges: consumers are facing the loss of personal data security; counterfeit goods, poor quality goods, low safety that are not strictly controlled have been and are besieging, ready to invade our country, affecting both manufacturing enterprises and consumers; the third challenge is tax loss.

Participating in the explanation to clarify the issue of preventing tax losses in e-transactions, Minister of Finance Ho Duc Phoc said that through the results of e-commerce tax collection, in 2022, 83,000 billion VND was collected and in 2023, 97,000 billion VND was collected. In the first five months of 2024, 50,000 billion VND was collected and 96 foreign suppliers and foreign technology corporations such as Facebook, Google, Microsoft, TikTok... have registered and paid taxes on the Ministry of Finance's electronic information portal on cross-border trading floors; currently, 15.6 trillion VND in e-commerce tax has been paid...

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