Beijing, July 14 (IANS): China on Friday said it had lodged diplomatic protests with several countries, including the US, for making what it called "irresponsible statements" on the case of late Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo.

Liu passed away on Thursday at a Chinese hospital due to liver cancer, reports Efe news.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said China has lodged protests with the US, France and Germany as well as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein to express Beijing's discontent.

After having been granted medical parole, the 61-year-old activist and writer died on Thursday night in the First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, while his family's request for seeking treatment abroad had been rejected.

After two decades of fighting for democracy, Liu was arrested in 2008 and sentenced on December 25, 2009 to 11 years in prison on subversion charges after co-drafting the Charter O8 -- a political manifesto calling for democratic reforms in China. 

In 2010, Liu received the Nobel Peace Prize for his activism in favour of democracy in China. He also played a significant role in the Tiananmen protests of June 1989 which ended in bloodshed when they were quashed by troops.