?China on Thursday expressed deep condolences at the passing of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej and extended sincere sympathies to the Thai government and people.

"King Bhumibol was revered by the people of Thailand and made remarkable contributions to the country's stability and development," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang in a statement.

Over the past years, King Bhumibol made painstaking efforts in developing friendly ties between China and Thailand and chartered the direction of bilateral relations with Chinese leaders, Geng said.

King Bhumibol made an irreplaceable contribution to cementing the two people's friendship and expanding bilateral cooperation, said the spokesperson.

King Bhumibol died at the age of 88 after a long illness, the Thai Bureau of Royal Household said in a statement on Thursday.