BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- China deeply mourns the passing of former president of Romania Ion Iliescu, foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Thursday.

Guo said that Iliescu, an important leader of Romania and an old friend of the Chinese people, had made significant contribution to the development of China-Romania relations and friendly cooperation between the two countries.

"We deeply mourn the passing of former president Iliescu and extend our sincere sympathies to the Romanian government and people as well as his family," Guo added.

Iliescu died on Tuesday at the age of 95, the Romanian government has announced. He served as president for three terms between 1990 and 2004. ■