BEIJING: Vice Chairman of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, He Wei, will attend the funeral of Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran on July 3 as China’s representative, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday.
The ministry said He Wei would travel to Tehran to participate in the official funeral ceremonies on behalf of the Chinese government. He serves as a senior leader in China’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, and is expected to take part in official condolence events during his visit.
Iranian state media earlier reported that the funeral proceedings for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would begin in Tehran on July 4, with the burial scheduled to conclude in his hometown, the holy city of Mashhad, on July 9.
Khamenei was assassinated on the first day of Israeli and US airstrikes against Iran on February 28. The visit comes amid heightened regional tensions and continuing diplomatic sensitivities involving Iran, Israel, the United States and other global powers.
