BEIJING, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- China expresses deep condolences over the passing of renowned sinologist Professor Ezra Vogel and sends sincere sympathies to his family, said a Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Monday.

Ezra Vogel, professor emeritus at Harvard University and a renowned China scholar, passed away at the age of 90 in a hospital in Massachusetts on Sunday.

"Professor Ezra Vogel was a renowned U.S. expert on China and an old friend of the Chinese people," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a press briefing, adding that Professor Vogel had made unremitting efforts to promote communication and exchanges between China and the United States, and to enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples.

"We will remember Professor Vogel's contribution to the development of China-U.S. relations," said Wang.