President Hu Jintao expresses deep condolences and sympathy to Yu Huiwen, Huang Ju's wife, as he paid final respects and bid farewell to the former vice-premier yesterday.Xinhua

Vice-Premier Huang Ju's remains were cremated in Beijing yesterday.

Huang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, died of illness at 2:03 am on June 2 in Beijing at the age of 69.

Top leaders, including President and Party General Secretary Hu Jintao, former leader Jiang Zemin, top legislator Wu Bangguo, and Premier Wen Jiabao, paid their final respects and bid farewell to Huang yesterday morning at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery.

Others who attended the ceremony included Jia Qinglin, Zeng Qinghong, Wu Guanzheng, Li Changchun and Luo Gan, all members of the Political Bureau's Standing Committee.

Wearing white paper flowers and black armbands, they walked slowly into an auditorium at the cemetery, bowed three times before the body, and expressed deep condolences and sympathy to Yu Huiwen, Huang's wife, and other family members.

The auditorium was decorated with a photo of Huang, above which hung a black streamer with characters written in white reading "In remembrance of Comrade Huang Ju".

Huang was covered with a CPC flag.

Top Party and government officials had either visited Huang in hospital when he was seriously ill or expressed their deep condolences over his death and sympathy to Huang's family members by other means.

High-ranking officials of the Party, the government and the military, friends and people from Huang's hometown were present at the auditorium to bid farewell.

An obituary issued earlier by the central authorities called Huang "an excellent member of the CPC, a long-tested and faithful Communist fighter and an outstanding leader of the Party and the State".

In a statement issued by the CPC's Central Committee yesterday, Huang was deemed "an important member of the CPC leadership".

"He devoted all his wisdom and energy to the development of the Party and the country," it said.

Xinhua

(China Daily 06/06/2007 page1)