China mourns passing of former Algerian President Bouteflika

BEIJING, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- China sincerely mourns the passing of former Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said here Sunday.

Mr. Bouteflika was an outstanding statesman and leader of national liberation movements in Algeria, the Arab world, and Africa, spokesperson Zhao Lijian said in a statement.

The former president is also an old friend of the Chinese people, Zhao added. He noted that Bouteflika made significant contributions to China's restoration of its lawful seat in the United Nations as the Algerian foreign minister fifty years ago.

During his term as Algerian President, Bouteflika actively promoted the development of China-Algeria relations, the deepening of friendly bilateral cooperation and the enhancing of the friendship between the two peoples, Zhao said.

"China is ready to continue working with Algeria to push for new progress in the China-Algeria comprehensive strategic partnership," he added.

Bouteflika, who served as Algerian president from 1999 to 2019, died on Friday at age 84, said the Algerian presidency.