Lü Fuyuan () (October 1945 – 18 May 2004) was the first minister of the

Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China The Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) is an executive department of the State Council of the People's Republic of China responsible for formulating policies on foreign trade, export and import regulations, foreign direct investments, consumer pro ...

Biography

After graduating from

Jilin University Jilin University (JLU) is a public university in the city of Changchun, Jilin, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction. History Founded ...

with a degree in

Physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

, Lü worked for several years in the

First Automotive Works China FAW Group Corp., Ltd. (First Automotive Works) is a Chinese State-owned enterprises of China, state-owned automobile manufacturer headquartered in Changchun, Jilin. TOYOTA Motor Co., LTD. Tianjin Xiali Official Site FAW operates this joint v ...

Changchun Changchun is the capital and largest city of Jilin, Jilin Province, China, on the Songliao Plain. Changchun is administered as a , comprising seven districts, one county and three county-level cities. At the 2020 census of China, Changchun ha ...

, and then studied at the

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (; UdeM; ) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce on M ...

in Canada during 1981 and 1983; but later, he refused the offer to stay in Canada. When Lü went backed to China, the Chinese Embassy to Canada then suggested the

to invite Lü joined the

Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

in 1983. Soon, Lü was promoted to the Deputy Executive Officer of

and the Chief Economist Officer, in charging operations and trades. He was also awarded by the

Central Military Commission Central Military Commission may refer to: *Central Military Commission (China), the highest national defense organization in the People's Republic of China. *Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the highest body in Vietnam ...

because of his contribution to the 35th National Day Parade of People's Republic of China in 1984. Six years later, Lü joined the Ministry of Machine Industry of China, as the Department Head of automobile Industry; and then was promoted to the Deputy Minister of Machine Industry. During the eight years in office, he had made tremendous contribution to China's Automobile Industry, and personally involved in a number of projects. He also invited

Wan Gang Wan Gang (, born August 1952) is a Chinese expert on automobiles and retired politician, who served as the minister of science and technology from 2007 to 2018. The chairman of the China Zhi Gong Party from 2007 to 2022, Wan was one of the fe ...

, a Chinese expert on automobiles who at that time was working with German

Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. The origins of the compa ...

Corporation, to return to China. Since 1998, Lü was assigned to be the Deputy Minister in Ministry of Education, and then Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation. In March 2003, the former Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation (MOFTEC) went through a reorganization and was renamed as Ministry of Commerce. Lü was promoted to be the first

Minister of Commerce A Commerce minister (sometimes business minister, industry minister, trade minister or international trade minister) is a position in many governments that is responsible for regulating external trade and promoting economic growth (commercial poli ...

. However, after less than one year in the office, Lü resigned on 29 February 2004 due to

liver cancer Liver cancer, also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy, is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary in which the cancer starts in the liver, or it can be liver metastasis, or secondar ...

and died three months later.

External links

Former Chinese commerce minister dies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lu, Fuyuan 1945 births 2004 deaths People from Suihua People's Republic of China politicians from Heilongjiang Jilin University alumni Chinese Communist Party politicians from Heilongjiang Ministers of commerce of the People's Republic of China Burials at Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery