Shimon Peres, former Israeli president and the nation's eldest statesman, smiles as he addresses delegates during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos in this January 24, 2013 file photo. (File photo/Agencies)
Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a condolence message to his Israeli counterpart, Reuven Rivlin, on Wednesday over the passing of former President Shimon Peres.
President Xi, on behalf of the Chinese government, the Chinese people and himself, extended his sincere condolences to Peres' relatives and the Israeli people.
As a senior statesman in Israel, Peres had dedicated himself to finding a political solution to the Middle East issue and was the founder and propellent of the Middle East peace process, which earned him deep respect from the Israeli people and international community, Xi said in the message.
Peres had visited China a number of times and made important contributions to the development of China-Israel ties. His passing is a loss of an old friend for China, said the Chinese president.
Xi also stressed that China attaches great importance to the development of China-Israel relations and is willing to work with Israel to continuously push forward the development of bilateral ties.
