| PM considers support for Lao Bao economic zone | |
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and authorities from the central province of Quang Tri considered extending their support to the Lao Bao special economic-trade zone (LBZ) during a working session in Hanoi on November 10. On a total area of 15,804ha, the LBZ lies at the starting point of the East-West economic corridor, which is the shortest and preferred route for trade, tourism and services between Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and other countries in the Greater Mekong Sub-region. As a State-run organisation, the LBZ has enjoyed a number of governmental preferential policies, but it is facing a number of obstacles. The PM also asked the province to devise a full plan for La Lay international economic border zone and agreed in principle to offer assistance for infrastructure development. He asked Quang Tri to capitalise on its strength, including the Road 9 linking with Laos, the National Highway 1 and the North-South railway in a bid to develop its economy. Quang Tri is one of the two poorest localities in the central region, with a household poverty rate of 12%-13%, doubling the nation’s average. | |
| VIR |
