BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Song Ping, a former senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the state, passed away due to illness on Wednesday in Beijing, at the age of 109, an official statement announced.

Song, who was a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 13th CPC Central Committee and a former state councilor, was extolled as an excellent member of the CPC, a time-tested and loyal communist soldier, an outstanding proletarian revolutionary and statesman, and an exceptional leader of the Party and the state. ■