BEIJING, July 22 (Xinhua) -- President and Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee General Secretary Hu Jintao has mourned the death of Ou Xinqian, a female Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology.

    Ou died of illness in Beijing on July 12, at the age of 59, according to an official press release reaching here Wednesday.

    Other mourners included Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang, Zhou Yongkang, Wang Gang, Wang Qishan, Hui Liangyu, Liu Yandong, Li Yuanchao, Wang Yang, Zhang Dejiang, Zhu Rongji, Zeng Qinghong, Hua Jianmin, Liang Guanglie, Ma Kai, Zhang Rongming, Wu Yi, Zeng Peiyan, Cheng Siwei, Gu Xiulian, Sheng Huaren, Chen Jinhua and Wang Zhongyu.

    According to the official release, Ou was born in Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, southwest China, in December 1949. She joined the Communist Party in May 1970 and graduated from the Chemistry Department of Peking University, in January 1978.

    Since 2002, the official had worked as vice minister with the State Economic and Trade Commission, the State Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

    She was a delegate to the 16th and 17th National Party Congresses of the CPC, a member of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and a deputy director of the 11th CPPCC National Committee's Economic Committee.