BEIJING, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Li Minkuan, former vice chairman of the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League (TDSL) Central Committee, died of illness at the age of 89 in Beijing on Monday, according to an official statement.

Li, who had served as vice chairman of the sixth and seventh TDSL Central Committee, was "an excellent leader of the TDSL" and "an excellent member of the Communist Party of China (CPC)," the statement said.

Born in October 1937, Li became a CPC member in November 1984 and joined the TDSL in September 1997. He served from 1997 to 2007 successively as the secretary-general and vice chairman of the Central Committee of the TDSL.

From 1975 to 1997, he served successively as the head coach of the Beijing women's softball team, the head coach and team leader of the national women's softball team, and the head coach of the national softball training team, making significant contributions to helping the country emerge as a strong contender in the global softball arena, according to the statement. Enditem