Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has requested ministries to prioritise capital in the medium-term public investment plan for 2016 - 2020 to natural disaster prevention and climate change response in the time ahead.

He made the request at a Government meeting in Hanoi on August 13th that discussed the allocation of the VND10 trillion (over USD430.6 million) which is the reduction of the capital initially planned for projects of national importance in the medium-term public investment plan for 2016 - 2020.

PM Phuc asked the Ministry of Planning and Investment to review the remaining investment capital of the 2016 - 2020 period so as to make appropriate allocation plans in which important and urgent projects promoting regional connectivity and developing disadvantaged areas should be prioritised, particularly those on natural disaster prevention and control and climate change response.

He also told this ministry to work with relevant agencies to build the public investment allocation plan for 2020 to submit for consideration, stressing that they must prioritise disadvantaged areas, especially the Mekong Delta and the northern mountainous region, as well as the critical projects that will promote private investment attraction and socio-economic development.

In this regard, the Government has adhered to legal regulations and resolutions of the National Assembly and the National Assembly Standing Committee to ensure transparency and prevent interest groups, corruption and wastefulness, he added.

Also on August 13th, the Government members scrutinised the funding for the Huu Nghi - Chi Lang and Dong Dang - Tra Linh expressways running through the border provinces of Lang Son and Cao Bang. These are the projects crucial to economic development of northern localities.

Huu Nghi - Chi Lang Expressway will be an artery of the economic corridor traversing Nanning of China and Lang Son, Hai Phong and Quang Ninh of Vietnam.

The route from Hanoi to Cao Bang, where the Tra Linh border gate is located, is currently 280km long, taking 5.5 - 6 hours driving. Once opened, the two roads, together with Bac Giang - Lang Son Expressway, will help cut down the travelling time to 2-2.5 hours./.