Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese president, on Saturday sent a message of condolences to Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC) and Vietnamese president, over the passing away of former general secretary of the CPVCC Le Kha Phieu.

Phieu, 88, passed away at 2:52 a.m. on Friday in the Vietnamese capital city of Hanoi after a long time of illness.

He served as the general secretary of the CPVCC from December 1997 to April 2001.

Hailing Le Kha Phieu as an outstanding leader of the older generation of the Vietnamese Party and state, Xi said that Phieu led the Vietnamese people to make great achievements in Vietnam's socialist construction and reform.

He is also a close comrade and friend of the CPC and people, and has made outstanding contributions to the development of China-Vietnam relations featuring "long-term stability, future orientation, good-neighborly friendship and all-round cooperation," Xi stressed.

China attaches great importance to consolidating and carrying forward the traditional friendship with Vietnam and is ready to work with Vietnam to enhance political mutual trust, strengthen unity and cooperation, Xi said, adding that the two sides will push for new and greater development of bilateral relations between the two parties and countries as well as their respective socialist causes.

"I believe that under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee headed by the general secretary, Vietnam will make new achievements in its socialist construction," he said.

(Cover: A general view of Hanoi's skyline on July 2, 2010. /Reuters)