China expresses condolences over death of Pope Francis

China expressed its condolences on Tuesday following the death of Pope Francis, pledging to work with the Vatican to promote the continuous improvement of bilateral relations.

Pope Francis, the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, died Monday at the age of 88, the Vatican said in a statement.

China and the Vatican have maintained constructive dialogue and developed friendly exchanges in recent years, Foreign Ministry's spokesman Guo Jiakun told a daily news conference in Beijing.