BEIJING, June 11 (Reuters) - China mourned the death of Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, calling him a "respected friend" and expressing confidence that relations between the nations would continue to advance.
"President Assad was the outstanding leader of Syria who has contributed all his life to the development of the country and the happiness of the Syrian people," Xinhua news agency quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao as saying on Sunday.Assad died on Saturday after three tumultuous decades as head of the Middle Eastern state.
"The Chinese people also lost a respected friend," Xinhua quoted Zhu as saying.
"The Chinese government believes that Syria will march forward along the path set by President Assad, and Sino-Syrian ties will continue to advance," he was quoted as saying.
China was a major supplier of arms to Syria and supported Assad's demand that Israel withdraw from the Golan Heights, a large slice of which has been controlled by Israel since 1967.