Background
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Lii Tung
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Lii Tung has devoted almost his entire career to the field of heavy industry. He was first reported, according to Japanese sources, as director of the “first sub-office” of the “Central Shansi Administrative Office” in 1945. In using the term “administrative office” at that time the Communists referred to government as opposed to Party or military offices.
Education
He was educated locally.
Career
By 1949 Lii was serving as deputy director of the Industry Department of the Northeast Administrative Committee, the organ of governmental rule for all of Manchuria, a post he retained when this committee was transformed into the Northeast People’s Government in August 1949. (For a period in 1949 this department was known as the Heavy Industry Department.) Lii’s superior in the Industry Department was Wang Ho-shou, under whom he was to serve for most of the next 15 years. Another post that Lu held for a brief time in 1949 under the Northeast People’s Government was membership on the Finance and Economics Committee.
Although Lii did not hold high rank in 1950, he was with the highest ranking Party officers in January 1950 when he accompanied Chou En-lai to Moscow, where Chou joined Mao Tse-tung for the negotiations that led to the signing of the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Alliance on February 14, 1950. In addition to this key treaty, lesser agreements were signed at the same time, including an agreement on the joint use of the Chinese Changchun Railway in Manchuria and another concerning credit to China amounting to U.S. $300,000,000. In view of Lii’s background, it seems probable that his assignment on this mission had to do with these technical agreements rather than the political-military treaty of alliance.
In August 1952, economic specialist Li Fu- ch’un relinquished his position as minister of Heavy Industry to Wang Ho-shou, Lii's mentor in Manchuria. Simultaneously, Lii also transferred to Peking, becoming a vice-minister under Wang. Lii made a report on the ministry before the Government Administration Council (the cabinet) on June 6, 1953, and at an October-November 1954 forum in Peking on metal research work, Lii spoke on metallurgical work. Otherwise, his activity was not frequently mentioned in the national press in the early 1950’s.
In May 1956, during a partial government reorganization, the Ministry of Heavy Industry was divided into three ministries: Chemical Industry, Building Materials Industry, and Metallurgical Industry. Lii joined the last-named, to which he was officially appointed a vice-minister in January 1957, once again under Minister Wang Ho-shou. From that time until he replaced Wang in mid-1964，Lii was the senior vice-minister in this important industry. He was rather active in the mid-1950’s, serving as a host to foreign visitors concerned with the metallurgical industry, and was often reported speaking at conferences, conducting inspections, or attending ceremonies in connection with iron and steel plants. In February 1960, Lii made an official report before a meeting of the NPC Standing Committee on the work of his ministry in 1959 and the plans for 1960. Then for unexplained reasons he was out of the news for four years. He continued to be listed on official rosters as the senior vice-minister, so perhaps his absence was due to ill-health.
Politics
Then, in July 1964, Lii was appointed to replace Wang Ho-shou as Minister of Metallurgical Industry. Later in the year he was named to membership on the Fourth National Committee of the CPPCC as a representative of the China Scientific and Technical Association, the Fourth Committee held its first session in December 1964-January 1965. At the same time the CPPCC was meeting, the Third NPC was holding its first session. At these meetings Lii was reappointed to his ministerial post and spoke on the metallurgical industry, claiming that new strides had been made by China in both the variety and quality of metallurgical products manufactured in recent years.
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Born
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Nationality
China -
Ethnicity
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Political Party
Chinese Communist Party
Career
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1949
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1953
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1964