Chinese Vice President attends Lee Kuan Yew's funeral

Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy and Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao (L) pays respect to Singapore's former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in Singapore's Parliament House, March 28, 2015.(Xinhua/Then Chih Wey)

Joining 2,200 guests, including world leaders from more than 20 countries, China's Vice President Li Yuanchao attended the funeral of Singapore's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew on Sunday at the Universal Cultural Center of the National University of Singapore.

Before the state funeral started at 2 pm and despite heavy rain, thousands of Singaporeans waited along the major streets for the final farewell to Lee. People with tears in their eyeswaved the national flag and called out Lee's name when the funeral cortege passed.

Officials said more than 450,000 people had paid their last respects to the 91-year-old, who served as prime minister for 31 years, before the public wake ended in parliament on Saturday night.

Lee also received a 21-gun salute, an honor usually reserved for sitting heads of state.

As a special envoy of President Xi Jinping, Li carried a message from Xi to Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, saying that Lee Kuan Yew is not only the founder of Singapore, but also is well respected as a politician and strategist in the international community.

Xi said Lee was an old friend of Chinese people, and a respected wise man and elder.

"As the founder, pioneer and promoter of the China-Singapore relationship, Mr Lee Kuan Yew and the older generation of Chinese leaders charted the development of the bilateral relationship, and made significant contribution towards the cooperation and friendship between two countries and two peoples," Xi said in his message.

This year will witness the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Singapore. China is willing to work with Singapore's government to maintain the good trend in developing the bilateral relationship, and to bring more benefits to the two countries and two peoples, the message added.

On Saturday, Li also held a meeting with Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, and conveyed deep condolences on Lee's passing on behalf of Xi, the Chinese government and the Chinese people.

"Lee's departure is not only a loss for the Singaporean people, but also a loss for Asia and the global community," Li said.

The traditional friendly cooperation between the two countries should be treasured and continued by further enhancing high-level exchanges and stepping up pragmatic cooperation, therefore bringing China-Singapore ties to a new level, he added.

Teo expressed thanks to Xi, Premier Li Keqiang and other leaders for sending wreaths to the Singaporean Embassy in Beijing to pay respect to the former prime minister.

Teo also said that the Chinese vice president's attendance at Lee's state funeral reflected the fact that China pays special attention to China-Singapore ties.

Lee made great effortto strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries and devoted himself to promoting China-Singapore cooperation in many areas, including the establishment of an industrial park in China's eastern city of Suzhou, Teo added.

The Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry said Lee Kuan Yew built up deep and lasting bonds of trust with the Chinese community and Chinese business community alike, always maintaining good mutual interaction.

"He was an ardent believer in promoting bilingual education, and stressed that core cultural and traditional values are to be conveyed through the mother tongue. This has laid the foundations behind establishing a cohesive Chinese society and Chinese business community," said a letter from the chamber's official website.

Gu Qingyang, an associate professor of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, said Lee Kuan Yew's major contribution was not only about building a prosperous country, but also about establishing a governing system and one advanced development strategy that allowed Singapore to catch up with developed nations.

Lee Kuan Yew is also respected by the younger generation of Chinese. Tang Wei, from China's Hunan province, has been working and living in Singapore for three years. He said the good social order, the harmonious relationship and integration among different local communities, and a beautiful landscape of Singapore attracted him to work in the country.