Veteran journalist and writer Israel Epstein, or Epi as he was affectionately known, died in Beijing at the age of 90, it was announced last night.

He passed away on May 26, family members said.

Epstein was described as a "true old friend of the Chinese people".

On April 17, President Hu Jintao paid a special visit to Epstein to offer his well-wishes on the eve of Epstein's 90th birthday.

President Hu praised Epstein for his "outstanding contributions" to China's progress and his "sincere affection for China and the Chinese people."

Over the years, Epstein witnessed all phases of China's revolution, construction and reform under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.

He had also interviewed Chairman Mao Zedong in the 1930s while working for US news organizations.

Born to a Jewish family on April 20, 1915, Epstein came to China with his parents at the age of two.

"I grew up in China," he told China Daily in a 2003 interview.

He began to work for China's revolution in 1933 and became a Chinese citizen in 1957.

The noted journalist and writer once served as editor-in-chief of China Reconstructs (China Today) magazine.

Since 1983, he has been an elected member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, China's top advisory body.

He was also an accomplished author and some of his major titles include From Opium War to Liberation, The People's War, and The Unfinished Revolution in China.

(China Daily June 1, 2005)