Xi pays final respects to late Tanzania leader

Magufuli called China's good friend for his contributions to bilateral cooperation

President Xi Jinping expressed his deep condolences on Tuesday over the death of former Tanzanian president John Magufuli, saying it was a huge loss for the Tanzanian people and that the Chinese people have also lost a good friend.

In a message sent to Samia Suluhu Hassan, the new president of Tanzania, Xi said that he, on behalf of the Chinese government and the Chinese people, as well as in his own name, expressed sincere sympathies to Magufuli's family as well as the Tanzanian government and people.

He hailed Magufuli as an extraordinary leader of Tanzania, saying that the former president had made a positive contribution to promoting friendship and cooperation between the two nations and between China and Africa.

China treasures the profound traditional friendship between the two countries, and is willing to work with Tanzania to deepen the bilateral comprehensive partnership and bring more benefits to the two peoples and two nations, Xi said.

Magufuli, 61, died in office from a heart condition on March 17 in Dar es Salaam. Hassan, who had been the vice-president of Tanzania since 2015, was sworn in as Tanzanian president on Friday, and became the country's first female president.

According to the Constitution of Tanzania, Hassan will serve as president for the remainder of Magufuli's five-year term, which ends in 2025, and she will consult with the ruling party, the Chama Cha Mapinduzi, on the appointment of the vice-president.

African leaders gathered in the Tanzanian capital of Dodoma to pay their last respects to Magufuli on Monday, describing him as a true and dedicated son of Africa.

In their eulogies to the late president at a state funeral at Jamhuri Stadium in the capital, the leaders said Magufuli was a fighter and patriot not only for Tanzania but for the entire African continent.

In her remarks, Hassan assured Tanzanians the country is in good hands.

"Let us continue from where the late president Magufuli stopped. Let us cooperate and unite," she said to thunderous applause from her audience, adding people should not doubt her presidency because she is a woman.

Magufuli will be buried in his hometown in Chato district of Geita region on Friday. He was born on Oct 29, 1959. He was elected president of Tanzania in October 2015, and was reelected in October 2020.

Xinhua contributed to this story.