Chinese President Hu Jintao on Tuesday sent a message of good wishes to Cuban leader Fidel Castro after he handed over power on a temporary basis to his brother due to health reasons, state press said.
Hu passed on "his sincere condolences" and wished the Cuban leader a quick recovery in his capacities as president and head of China's ruling Communist Party, Xinhua news agency said.
Castro, 80, Latin America's sole surviving communist strongman, ceded power late Monday to his brother Raul temporarily for the first time in 47 years after undergoing what he called delicate intestinal surgery.
China has long been a supporter of Cuba and Castro with the two nations regularly exchanging visits of heads of state.
