BEIJING, March 23-- Chinese top legislator Zhang Dejiang on Monday sent condolences to his Singaporean counterpart over the death of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew of the Southeast Asian nation.

In his message to Speaker Halimah Yacob of the Parliament of Singapore, Zhang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), lauded Lee as the founder of China-Singapore relations.

Lee, who passed away early Monday, made enormous contributions to bilateral friendship as well as to China's reform and opening-up, Zhang noted.

The NPC, he added, stands ready to work with the Singaporean Parliament to pursue new and greater progress in the development of bilateral ties.