A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman on Tuesday said that China expressed deep condolences on the death of former Russian President Boris Yeltsin, saying that the Chinese people had lost a "sincere friend".

Devoting himself to the development of friendship between China and Russia, Yeltsin made "remarkable" contributions to the improvement and development of bilateral ties while he was in office, spokesman Liu Jianchao said.

During Yeltsin's tenure as Russian president, China and Russia established a strategic cooperative partnership, solved border disputes and smoothly developed all-round cooperation, Liu added.

Born on February 1, 1931, Yeltsin worked as a construction worker, communist party official and was elected Russian president in 1991. He was elected for a second term in 1996 but transferred power to Vladimir Putin and resigned from his post on December 31, 1999.

Source: Xinhua