BEIJING, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Fu Tieshan, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the 10th National People's Congress, died of illness at age 76 here on Friday.

    Fu was also vice-president of the Chinese Association for International Understanding, chairman of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, acting chairman of the Bishops Conference of Catholic Church of China and bishop of Catholic Diocese of Beijing.

    In a statement released after Fu's death, the Communist Party of China (CPC) called Fu a distinguished patriotic religious leader, a well-known social activist and a close friend of the CPC.