The Chinese ambassador to Israel, Du Wei, has been found dead in his home north of Tel Aviv, according to the Israeli foreign ministry and police.
No cause of death was given, and Israeli police on Sunday said it had opened an investigation.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld confirmed that Du was found in the early morning by the envoy’s staff in his home in Herzliya.
Rosenfeld added that the Israeli police were at the scene investigating the circumstances surrounding Du’s death.
China’s ambassador to Israel was found dead in his home in a Tel Aviv suburb on Sunday, an Israeli police spokesman said, Reuters reports.
He did not comment on the cause of death of ambassador Du Wei, who was 57 years old and became ambassador t …https://t.co/IQtYk1uz1b pic.twitter.com/OCQzJiEGnx— 💥💥💥💥💥⓵ⒷⓊⓋ💥💥💥💥💥 (@_1BUV) May 17, 2020
Media reports said according to an initial assessment, Du appears to have died of a cardiac arrest, but there was no official confirmation.
Yuval Rotem, Israel’s director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said he spoke with China’s deputy ambassador to express condolences and pledged to “help the Chinese embassy with anything they may need along the way”, Israeli daily Haaretz reported.
Du had arrived in Israel in February. He had previously served as China’s envoy to Ukraine, according to the embassy’s website.
#Pompeo Arrives in #Israel to Discuss #Iran, #Annexation Plans https://t.co/2NZDR7cm3k via @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/Mi4hLnChHn
— @palestinechron (@PalestineChron) May 16, 2020
He is survived by a wife and son, both of whom were not in Israel.
Israel enjoys good relations with China.
The ambassador’s death comes just two days after he condemned comments by visiting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who denounced Chinese investments in Israel and accused China of hiding information about the coronavirus pandemic.
(AJE, PC, Social Media)
