China sends BIRTHDAY wishes

China joined the world to say "happy birthday" to Nelson Mandela on Thursday and wish him a speedy recovery from his illness.

"We convey our congratulations to Mandela on his 95th birthday," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.

The former South African president made a historic contribution to the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Africa, Hua said.

Thursday was also the fifth Nelson Mandela International Day, which calls for people to devote 67 minutes to charity as a way to commemorate Mandela's 67-year fight for human rights.

The South African embassy in Beijing hosted a book party with Chinese writer Li Yong, who has written a book on Mandela. Li shared with readers the Nelson Mandela he knows.

"Mandela is the greatest person alive on this planet," Li said.

A charity event followed, during which every participant donated books to the China Rural Library, which gives books to teenagers for free.

"We are glad to see that more and more Chinese are enthusiastically participating in the commemoration of Mandela Day," the South African embassy said in a statement.

Embassy staff will pay a visit to Beijing's Chenguang Health Center For Children With Cerebral Palsy on Tuesday as part of Mandela Day events.

China Daily