BEIJING - A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman on Friday expressed condolences over the death of Nobel Prize-winning Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Garcia Marquez passed away Thursday in his home in Mexico City at the age of 87. He was considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century and is a master of magic realism. His epic 1967 novel "One Hundred Years of Solitude" sold more than 30 million copies in more than 25 languages and is a groundbreaking work of literature that introduced the world to magic realism.

Spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular press briefing that Garcia Marquez is one of the greatest writers of the 20th century and his works are a common treasure for mankind.

China has mourned his death and conveyed sympathy to his family, she added.