Former Russian Ambassador to China Igor Rogachev passed away here Saturday at the age of 80, local media reported Sunday.

"Rogachev, former ambassador to China, has played an important role in promoting the development of relations between Russia and the Asia-Pacific region," Mikhail Margelov, head of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Russian Federation Council, was quoted as saying by the Itar-Tass news agency.

Rogachev also made outstanding contribution to exchanges and communication among parliaments of Russia and other countries after he had worked for the Federation Council, the upper house of parliament, since 2005, Margelov said.

According to local reports, Rogachev will be buried in Moscow on Wednesday.

Rogachev, who was born on March 1, 1932 in Moscow, spoke fluent Chinese and spent over 20 years in China to promote bilateral ties.

In 1956, Rogachev was invited by the Chinese government to China, where he worked as an interpreter. Two years later, he became a staff member of the Soviet embassy in Beijing.

In 1969, when the Chinese-Soviet relation was undergoing a historical low, he was appointed to be the counselor of the Soviet embassy in China.

In 1989, he accompanied then Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to visit China, helping improve the ties between the two nations.

The prominent diplomat and Sinologist is widely known in China by his Chinese name Luo Gaoshou, as he served as head of the Russian mission in China from 1992 to 2005.