Chinese FM Mourns Former Vietnamese Leader

Chinese Foreign Minister Mourns Former Vietnamese Prime Minister

Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan went to Vietnamese embassy in Beijing Friday morning and extended condolences over the passing away of former Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Van Dong.

Tang, on behalf of General Secretary Jiang Zemin of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Premier Zhu Rongji, also laid wreaths.

Describing Dong's death as a great loss to the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Vietnamese people, Tang told Vietnamese ambassador to China Bui Hong Phuc that Dong, who was a veteran revolutionary and a leader of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the government for a long time, had made outstanding contributions to Vietnam's national liberation and socialist construction.

Tang said that Dong had visited China for many times and made unremitting efforts to promote Sino-Vietnamese friendship, adding that General Secretary Jiang and Premier Zhu offered condolences over the death of Dong Tuesday.

Some other senior Chinese officials also went to the embassy and mourned Dong's death Friday.