[ti:Vietnam Aims to Grow Economy by 7 Percent in 2020] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Vietnam's government is seeking to expand the country's economy by seven percent this year. [00:09.80]The goal would be one of Vietnam's highest growth rates yet [00:14.84]and could be greater than China's expected economic expansion in 2020. [00:23.92]The Vietnam-based financial services company SSI Research reported the goal on January third. [00:34.96]The Vietnamese central government set a target for its Gross Domestic Product, [00:41.28]or GDP, to increase 6.8 to seven percent. [00:48.52]GDP represents the value of all goods and services produced within a country during one year. [00:58.72]SSI Research said the growth is expected to be driven by investments in manufacturing, [01:06.96]a lack of trade disputes involving Vietnam and a rising middle class. [01:14.84]Manufacturing is predicted to be the leading area of growth, [01:19.32]followed closely by the service industry, SSI Research said. [01:26.92]The Asian Development Bank keeps economic data of Asian countries. [01:32.92]Its information shows that a seven percent expansion rate [01:38.52]would place Vietnam among the 10 fastest-growing Asian economies this year. [01:47.04]It also would put Vietnam ahead of China. [01:52.12]The development bank has predicted a six percent rate for China in 2020. [02:00.32]Song Seng Wun is an economist with CIMB, a banking group in Singapore. [02:08.64]He told VOA that much of Vietnam's predicted growth in 2020 [02:14.32]will come from money flowing into factories, offices and port operations. [02:22.48]Experts say foreign-supported manufacturing is expected to lead the country's economy in 2020, [02:31.00]just as it has for the past seven years. [02:35.96]Song said a lot of foreign investors like, what he calls, "government stability" in Vietnam. [02:45.56]Pay for factory workers in Vietnam can also be low. [02:50.36]They can receive as little as $132 a month. [02:57.20]Most of the investors come from Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. [03:05.24]The companies' Vietnamese factories produce things like clothing, car parts and electronics. [03:14.16]In the first half of 2019, foreign investment projects were expected to reach $9.1 billion. [03:24.64]That would be a nearly eight percent increase over the same period in 2018. [03:32.00]That information comes from the website of the Ministry of Planning and Investment. [03:39.56]Besides manufacturing, economic experts say tourism [03:44.72]and improvements in higher education are also expected to increase growth. [03:52.56]Between 2010 and 2018, the number of foreign tourists in Vietnam [03:59.04]increased from 5 million to more than 15 million. [04:04.44]This growth was mainly fueled by an increase in Chinese visitors. [04:11.40]Economists say another driver of foreign investment in Vietnam [04:16.92]is a rise in higher education enrollment. [04:21.80]The percentage of Vietnamese receiving higher education [04:25.88]has jumped from 10 to about 30 percent of the population since 2000. [04:33.72]Murray Hiebert is a Southeast Asia expert [04:37.16]at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. [04:43.84]He told VOA that education matters in Vietnam [04:48.28]because investors want workers with stronger problem-solving skills. [04:54.96]Such employees can work in technical positions or help lead local offices, Hiebert said. [05:04.08]The Boston Consulting Group predicts that more than one-third of Vietnam's 97 million people [05:11.40]will be in, what is considered, the middle class by next year. [05:18.04]Middle-class growth is fueled mainly by jobs created by manufacturing for export. [05:25.92]As a result, many Vietnamese now have more money to spend on things like electronics, [05:32.68]transportation, travel and education, the group said. [05:39.08]I'm Bryan Lynn. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM