International tributes paid to the late premier
The international community on Friday paid tribute to former premier Li Keqiang, who died of a heart attack at the age of 68. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed his condolences on the passing of Li, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said. Nicholas Burns, US ambassador to China, also extended his condolences to Li's family, the Chinese government and the Chinese people in both English and Chinese on X, formerly known as Twitter. Japan’s embassy in China expressed its condolences on Weibo. It said Li had visited Japan in 2018 and he played an important role in the relations of both countries. "Former Premier Li Keqiang played an important role in Sino-Japanese relations, including his official visit to our country during the trilateral summit between Japan, China and South Korea in May 2018. We hereby offer our sincere condolences and prayers for former Premier Li Keqiang," Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said. The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China said in a statement: "The European Chamber is deeply saddened by the passing of former Premier Li Keqiang, who was an important interlocutor for the foreign business community. He was a pragmatic, forward-thinking man who placed great importance on the reform and opening of China’s economy.  "On the occasions that the European Chamber had the privilege to meet with him, he always paid close attention to the concerns of European companies operating in China." In a Foreign Ministry briefing, spokeswoman Mao Ning asked reporters to refer to information from official news agency Xinhua and the obituary to be released later. “We deeply mourn over the tragic passing of Comrade Li Keqiang due to a sudden heart attack,” she said. (Additional reporting by AFP, Reuters)