VSIPII Binh Duong.— File Photo

BINH DUONG (Biz Hub)— The southern province of Binh Duong ranked third among 63 provinces and cities nationwide in the Provincial Economic Integration Index (PEI Index) in 2013, marking a great stride in international economic integration.

The National Committee for International Economic Cooperation's 2013 PEI Index to measure each locality's capacity to integrate into the global economy was based on eight fields, covering infrastructure, culture, local natural features, human resources, trade, investment and tourism.

The standing was attributed to the locality's second place in investment, third in infrastructure, fourth in human resources, sixth in tourism and seventh in trade.

On Monday at a workshop screening the province's economic integration, experts said in weathering difficulties stemming from the post-global economic downturn, the southern province has taken healthy and flexible policies to help enterprises access various investment sources to better their operations and renovate technologies.

Such efforts paid off as Binh Duong has attracted US$1.3 billion in foreign investment during the year, accounting for almost 10 per cent of the country's total.

The locality has so far had 17,259 enterprises operating with a total investment of over $24 billion.

The experts, however, suggested Binh Duong further polish its policies to ensure its investment attraction and international integration is sustainable.

The province has recently named six priority fields in calling for investment in 2014, including electrical-electronic industry, support industry, precision mechanics, basic chemical industry, medical and pharmaceutical equipment and high-quality food processing. — VNS