China on Tuesday paid rich tributes to former president Pranab Mukherjee, saying he was a veteran statesman and his death is a huge loss for India-China friendship. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media that in his 50 years in politics, Pranab made positive contributions to China-India relations. Referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to India in 2014 and his meeting with Mukherjee, she said after the meeting the two countries issued a joint statement on building closer development partnership.