BEIJING, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a message of condolences to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the shooting rampage in a nightclub in Istanbul that killed at least 39 people.

In the message, Xi expressed his sincere sympathy to the Turkish president, the families of the victims and those injured in the attack.

The Chinese leader stressed that China strongly condemns the attack and resolutely opposes all forms of terrorism, adding that China stands ready to strengthen cooperation with Turkey and the international community to jointly cope with the terrorist threats.

A gunman stormed into Istanbul's Reina nightclub early Sunday morning and shot at hundreds of people gathering there for New Year's celebrations, leaving at least 39 dead and over 60 others injured.

The gunman is still at large and the Islamic State on Monday claimed responsibility for the attack, Turkish media reported.