Rep. Joseph Cao expected home this week from trip to Far East

By The Times-Picayune
January 10, 2010

Rep. Joseph "Anh" Cao, R-New Orleans, is due back this week after a congressional trip that took him to his native Vietnam as well as Cambodia, Laos and Japan.

Cao, who left Vietnam as the United States pulled out of the war with the communist North Vietnamese in 1975, spoke of reconciliation with the communist nation. It was his first visit to his home country since his election in 2008 as the first Vietnamese American in Congress and his first return since 2001.

"Many of my aspirations sometimes are not in parallel with that of the Vietnamese government's policies, but I still hope that we can continue to cooperate and work together," Cao said according to an account provided by Vietnamnet.

In Cambodia, Cao spoke dismissively of the Chinese government, speaking of the country's "imperialistic intents." The comments were in response to questions about the decision of the Cambodian government to deport 20 ethnic Chinese back to China, a move that some activists fear may lead to their arrest or persecution.

China recently signed economic agreements with the Cambodian government reportedly worth $1.2 billion.

Cao traveled to the Asian nations with Rep. Mike Honda, D-Calif., and Delegate Eni Faleomavega from American Samoa. Cao's staff declined to make him available for questions but said he would talk about the trip when he returns to Washington.