BEIJING, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- China Thursday expressed its condolences over the death of former U.S. Senator Ted Stevens in a plane crash Monday night.
"He was not only a senior United States politician - he was an old friend of the Chinese people," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said when asked to comment Stevens' death.
As a member of "The Flying Tigers," the U.S. volunteer group that helped the Chinese air force during World War II, Stevens offered valuable support to China in the fight against fascism, Jiang said.
While he was a senator and President pro tempore of the Senate between 2003 and 2007, he "made important contributions to exchange between China and U.S. legislative bodies," Jiang said.
Jiang also expressed China's condolences to Stevens' family.
Stevens was 86 years old.