Chinese ambassador to attend Thatcher's funeral

BEIJING - A spokeswoman for China's Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday that China's Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming will attend the funeral of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

"We have received an invitation from the British side, and our Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming will attend (the funeral) on behalf of the Chinese government," spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a routine press conference in Beijing.

Thatcher died of a stroke on April 8 at the age of 87. She was in office from 1979 to 1990 and remains the only female prime minister in British history. Her funeral is slated for Wednesday.