Chinese Leaders Mourn Death of Pham Van Dong

Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Prime Minister Zhu Rongji offered condolences Tuesday over the death of former Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, praising his great contributions to the development of Sino-Vietnamese relations.

In his message of condolences to Le Kha Phieu, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), Jiang said Dong "has made outstanding contributions to Vietnam's cause of national liberation and socialist construction, and has made valuable efforts in promoting the friendly relations between China and Vietnam."

Premier Zhu said in a separate message of condolences to his Vietnamese counterpart Phan Van Khai that "the death of Comrade Pham Van Dong is a huge loss to the CPV and the Vietnamese people. "

Dong, one of the most revered and longest-serving Vietnamese leaders, who died at the age of 94 April 30, was a revolutionary veteran and a leader of old generation in Vietnam and an old friend known well to the Chinese people, Jiang and Zhu said.

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