Chairman Quan, who is also a member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, said he hoped Flahaut, in his capacity as President of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, would join the international community in raising his voice against China’s illegal placement of the oil rig Haiyang Shiyou 981 in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and its actions to further complicate the situation.
He affirmed that Vietnam pursues a consistent policy of solving issues through dialogue in the spirit of respecting national sovereignty and asking China to comply with international law.
The Ho Chi Minh City leader also briefed the Belgian lawmaker on the situation in the city, Vietnam’s largest economic hub, which saw a growth of 8.2 percent in the first half of 2014.
He spoke highly of Belgium’s support to his city, particularly the Belgian Government’s provision of ODA capital to a project dredging the Soai Rap River, which has just completed the second phase at an investment of EUR 70 million.
Chairman Quan expressed his hope that Belgium’s new parliament would approve financial assistance to the third phase of this project.
On this occasion, he informed the host that Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung will pay a visit to Belgium in October to boost bilateral co-operation.
For his part, Flahaut said Vietnam can be proud of its economic attainments, adding that there exists great potential for co-operation between Belgian and Vietnamese localities.
