President Tran Dai Quang receives a delegation of the US Senate Committee on Military Affairs led by Senator John McCain

At a reception for a delegation of the US Senate Committee on Military Affairs in Hanoi on Thursday, President Quang said Vietnam wanted to boost the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership on the basis of respecting the political regime and contributing to peace, stability and development in the region. He also asked the US Congress to support the removal of the US Department of Agriculture’s monitoring program on catfish which the President said created technical barriers for the product.  He asked the US to continue supporting Vietnam in detoxifying Da Nang and Bien Hoa airport. Concerning the East Sea issue, President Quang said he hopes that the US would have a consistent message and policy on the East Sea, promote the diplomatic and legal processes, and support the maintenance of freedom, security, and safety of navigation, respect international law including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. He asked the US to support ASEAN’s central role and promote cooperation with ASEAN in economics and trade. Senator John Mc Cain said he supported the settlement of disputes in the East Sea through peaceful means in line with international law and with respect to diplomatic and legal processes. The US Senator said he believed the US-Vietnam cooperation would further develop.