China expressed condolences over the passing of Pope Francis, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Tuesday.

In recent years, China and the Vatican have maintained constructive engagement and conducted useful exchanges, spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a daily news briefing.

"China stands ready to work with the Vatican for continued improvement of China-Vatican ties," said Guo.

When answering a query regarding Vatican's so-called "ties with Taiwan," Guo noted that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory and the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China.

"More and more countries have come to recognize and abide by the one-China principle. We hope relevant countries will see where the arc of history bends and come back to the right path of upholding the one-China principle," said Guo.

Pope Francis, the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, died Monday at the age of 88.