Vietnam President Truong Tan Sang arrives in PH for Apec

Vietnam President Truong Tan Sang arrived in Manila on Tuesday to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Economic Leaders’ Meeting.

He arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 1 at 8:22 a.m. on board a Vietnam Airlines plane.

Sang was welcomed by Energy Secretary Zenaida Monzada, Philippine Ambassador to Vietnam Jerril Santos, Maj. Allan Mendez, and Vietnam Ambassador to the Philippines Truong Trieu Dong.

The Vietnam presidency is a largely ceremonial function as the Prime Minister performs the day-to-day functions of the government.

Sang was elected to the presidency in July 2011 with 97 percent of the vote of the National Assembly.

Before he was elected president, Sang served as a mayor of Ho Chi Minh City and the de facto Number 2 of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Sang was a communist fighter for North Vietnam and was imprisoned from 1971 to 1973 by the US-backed government of South Vietnam. North Vietnam prevailed in 1975 during the Vietnam War, occupying Saigon in the south and unifying the country under the Communist Party.

It remains to be seen if Sang will bring up Vietnam’s claim to the Spratly Islands during the Apec summit.

READ:  Philippines, Vietnam close to signing cooperation pact on South China Sea | PH-Vietnam ties

During his last state visit to the United States last September, Sang assailed the supposedly indisputable claim of China to islands in the South China Sea.

“The Chinese, in meetings with us, always claims that the islands belong to China, and it is undisputable. We would like to counter-argue that statement. The Paracels and Spratlys belong to Vietnam since ancient time, and it is also undisputable,” Sang was quoted as saying in a Voice of America report. IDL

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