Following outrage over a proposed friendship between the city of Irvine and a Vietnamese city, Councilman Larry Agran is standing by his decision to bring forward the proposal, reports PBS SoCaL’s David Nazar.

Orange County’s highest-ranking Vietnamese-American official, Supervisor Janet Nguyen, calls the proposal “very insulting,” while Agran says engagement with the communist regime is the best way to promote human rights.

Click here to watch the video if it’s not loading below.

Join the conversation: In lieu of comments, we encourage readers to engage with us across a variety of mediums. Join our Facebook discussion. Message us via our website or staff page. Send us a secure tip. Share your thoughts in a community opinion piece.