New | Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao to attend Nelson Mandela funeral
VP will attend as a special representative of President Xi Jinping
Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao will attend the funeral of former South African President Nelson Mandela as a special representative of President Xi Jinping, Xinhua reported.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei made the announcement of the visit between December 9 to 11 yesterday in a written statement.
Xinhua reported earlier that Li Yuanchao had paid a visit to the South African Embassy in Beijing on Friday, to mourn the death of the country's former president, Nelson Mandela.
Li said Mandela spent all his life advocating and implementing racial equality and reconciliation. He not only was a hero in the heart of South Africans, but also won global recognition.
In pictures: The world mourns Mandela
Mandela's state funeral on December 15 is set to be the biggest the world has ever seen. Ten days of mourning have already been declared following the death of the 95-year-old on December 5.
Fifty-nine foreign heads of state or government have said so far they will attend either the memorial ceremony or the state funeral of Nelson Mandela in South Africa in the coming week, Reuters quoted a foreign ministry spokesman of South Africa as saying.