BEIJING, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Top Chinese legislator Zhang Dejiang on Wednesday sent a message to Israeli Parliament Speaker Yuli Edelstein to offer his condolences on the passing of former Israeli president Shimon Peres.
On behalf of the National People's Congress (NPC) of China and himself, Zhang, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, expressed deep condolences at the passing of Peres and extended his sincere sympathies to the families of Peres and the Israeli people.
In the message to Edelstein, the speaker of the Knesset, Zhang said that Peres, a veteran politician and an active promoter of the Middle East peace process, has been revered by the Israeli people and the international community.
During his lifetime, Peres had devoted himself to the cause of friendship between China and Israel and was an old friend of the Chinese people, Zhang said.
The NPC of China is willing to work with the Israeli parliament to promote the continuous development of friendship between the two countries, Zhang said.