Mr Huang was in charge of financial and economic policymaking in the Politburo, China's highest decision-making body.

The obituary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee say Mr Huang was "an excellent member of the Communist Party of China, a long-tested and faithful communist fighter and an outstanding leader of the Party and the State".

He had not attended official functions since March 2006, when it was announced he was ill, reportedly with cancer.