China's Foreign Ministry on Friday expressed deep condolences over the passing of Uichiro Niwa, former Japanese ambassador to China, calling him an old friend of the Chinese people.

Speaking at a daily news briefing on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Niwa, who died at 86 on Dec 24, 2025, was a well-known Japanese entrepreneur and the first non-career diplomat to serve as Japan's ambassador to China.

During his tenure, he made active efforts to promote the development of China-Japan relations, as well as bilateral economic cooperation, and devoted considerable energy to advancing people-to-people friendship between the two countries, Mao told reporters.

While extending sincere condolences to his family, Mao said the country speaks positively about his contributions.