BEIJING, Feb. 6(Xinhuanet)-- Top Chinese leaders mourned over the death of Lei Renmin, one of the country's oldest foreign trade officials and a veteran who helped found the China International Trust and Investment Corporation, one of the most important companies in China's efforts to join in the global market since the late 1970s.

Lei died of illness on Jan. 25, at the age of 96.

While Lei was in hospital and after he died, top leaders including Hu Jintao, Jiang Zemin, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin and Zeng Qinghong showed their sympathy and condolence in various ways.

Lei, a native of Pingyao, Shanxi Province in north China, joined the Chinese Communist Youth League in 1927 and the Communist Party of China in 1937. He worked as a local military and government official until 1951 when he became deputy foreign trade minister.