Chinese president's special envoy attends Helmut Kohl's memorial ceremony

STRASBOURG, France -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's Special Envoy Wan Gang on Saturday attended the memorial ceremony of former German chancellor Helmut Kohl in Strasbourg, the French city home to the European Parliament.

On behalf of President Xi, on behalf of the Chinese government and people, Wan paid a final solemn tribute to Kohl.

He also conveyed his condolences to European Council President Donald Tusk, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and to the family of Kohl.

Wan is also Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Minister of Science and Technology.

Helmut Kohl, Wan said, had made contributions to development of the Sino-European and Sino-German relations. The Chinese side won't forget him as an old friend.

China is looking forward to working together with the European Union and Germany, for further development of the Sino-European and Sino-German relations, Wan said.

The European and German sides thanked the Chinese delegation for attending the ceremony and expressed their wishes to deepen the Sino-European and Sino-German ties.

Kohl died, at the age of 87, on June 16 at his home in Ludwigshafen in Germany's western state of Rhineland-Platinate.