Wan Gang, a non-Communist party member, has been appointed as the country's new minister of science and technology.
Wan, a member of the China Zhi Gong (Public Interest) Party, replaces 65-year-old Xu Guanhua, becoming the only current non-Communist party minister in China's State Council.
This is a notable move in China's political arena after top leader Hu Jintao urged the country's other political parties to play an active role in pushing the reform and opening-up drive.
In the 1950s a number of non-Communist members were appointed ministers in the country's cabinet but they were soon dismissed during the "anti-rightest" movement.
Wan is vice chairman of the Central Committee of the Zhi Gong Party, a non-Communist political party with more than 15,600 members.
In 1991, Mr. Wan began to work in German Audi Corporation, in charge of computer virtualization of automobile in the R&D Department. Soon he originated a distinctive auto-developing system for the company. In 1996, he was promoted to technical manager in production and technology division, and took charge of informational manufacturing technology as well as management. His leadership and contribution in many technological innovations facilitated the production of Audi A4, car of a new generation, thus winning for the company huge economic profits. In 1994 and 1995, he was consecutively invited as guest professor and doctoral student supervisor of Technical University Clausthal and of Tongji University. Under his instruction, his German doctoral candidates successfully carried out a researching project on fuel cell and they filled the blank of this field then and there.