- Title: China offers condolances upon death of Castro
- Date: 28th November 2016
- Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (NOVEMBER 28, 2016) (REUTERS) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN GENG SHUANG WALKING IN FOR REGULAR BRIEFING MEDIA SEATED (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN, GENG SHUANG, SAYING: "The General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and President Xi Jinping has already sent a telegram of condolences to the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, Chairman of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers, Comrade Raul Castro. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has also sent a telegram of condolences to chairman Raul, we are now making plans for attending the funeral." JOURNALIST SEATED (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN, GENG SHUANG, SAYING: "We believe that under the strong leadership of chairman Raul Castro, the Cuban party, government and people will carry out the unfinished lifework of Comrade Fidel Castro and turn grief into strength and make new constant achievements in the cause of developing socialism. The friendship between the governments and people of China and Cuba will continue to strengthen and develop." BRIEFING IN PROGRESS EXTERIOR OF CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY CHINESE NATIONAL FLAG FLYING
- Embargoed: 13th December 2016 09:56
- Keywords: China Cuba Fidel Castro death
- Location: BEIJING, CHINA
- City: BEIJING, CHINA
- Country: China
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0015ACY3WN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: China extended its condolences on Monday (November 28) following the death of Cuban President Fidel Castro, saying that friendship between the two countries would continue.
Fidel Castro, who built a communist state on the doorstep of the United States died at the age of 90 on Friday (November 25).
A towering figure of the second half of the 20th Century, Castro stuck to his ideology beyond the collapse of Soviet communism and remained widely respected in parts of the world that had struggled against colonial rule.
He had been in poor health since an intestinal ailment nearly killed him in 2006. He formally ceded power to his younger brother Raul Castro two years later.
"The General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and President Xi Jinping has already sent a telegram of condolences to the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, Chairman of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers, Comrade Raul Castro. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has also sent a telegram of condolences to chairman Raul, we are now making plans for attending the funeral," Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told journalists.
"We believe that under the strong leadership of chairman Raul Castro, the Cuban party, government and people will carry out the unfinished lifework of Comrade Fidel Castro and turn grief into strength and make new constant achievements in the cause of developing socialism. The friendship between the governments and people of China and Cuba will continue to strengthen and develop," he added.
The world's biggest communist country China has long been a traditional ally of Cuba. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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