Xi offers ‘sincere appreciation’ of the Queen’s legacy
CHINESE president Xi Jinping has expressed his condolences to the royal family over the death of the Queen.
He noted that she was the first UK monarch to visit China, in 1986, saying: “Her death is a great loss to the British people.”
The statement added that China was willing to work with the King as an opportunity to promote bilateral relations and benefit the two countries and their people.
Chinese premier Li Keqiang also sent a message of condolence to Prime Minister Liz Truss.
The Queen’s death comes amid tensions between Britain and China over human rights, trade and China’s relentless crackdown on free speech and political opposition in the former British colony of Hong Kong.
Japanese emperor Naruhito expressed his “deep sorrow and heartfelt condolences” over the death of the Queen in a statement released through the Imperial Household Agency.
In the statement in Japanese, Naruhito praised Queen Elizabeth for guiding and encouraging the people of Britain and its Commonwealth nations.
“Her constant prayers for global peace and safety impressed many people around the world,” Naruhito said. “I express my sincere respect and appreciation to many achievements and contributions that Her Majesty the Queen left behind.”
Japanese imperial family members have developed friendly relations with the British royal family, and Naruhito studied at Oxford in the 1980s. Naruhito noted that the Queen always warmly watched over relations between the two countries and paid attention to the relations between British and Japanese royal families.
French president Emmanuel Macron expressed “deep sadness” and a sense of “emptiness” after the death of the Queen and praised her “great affection for France”.
Mr Macron said in a video message that she mastered “our language, loved our culture and touched our hearts”.
He described the Queen as a “great head of state”.
Speaking in English, the French president said: “To you, she was your Queen. To us, she was the Queen.”
In Germany, the country’s president highlighted the Queen’s contribution to healing the wounds left by the Second World War.
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said “Britain held out the hand of reconciliation to Germany, and the hand of reconciliation was also the Queen’s hand”.