BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Song Keren, former vice minister of China's Ministry of Commerce, has passed away at the age of 88.

    According to a government obituary released on Friday, Song died of illness on Feb. 11. Chinese President Hu Jintao and other state and Party leaders expressed their condolences over Song's death, it said.

    Song, a native of Tai'an County of east China's Shandong Province, joined the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) in 1941.

    Since the 1940s, Song worked as official in commercial and trade departments in Hebei, Shandong and Henan provinces. He worked as official of the Ministry of Commerce (formerly known as Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation) since the 1950s.

    Song became vice commerce minister in 1977 and retired in Dec. 1983.