Liu Weining

Alexei Klimovich Fedotov (; born 1955), also known by his Chinese name Liu Weining , is a Russian aerospace engineer and businessman. He is the son of nuclear chemist Liu Yunbin and grandson of former president of the People's Republic of China Liu Shaoqi.

Early life Alexei was born on 1955 in Moscow to Liu Yunbin, also known by his Russian name 'Klim' (Клим), and his Russian wife Mara Fedotova. At the time of his birth, Alexei's father was a graduate student in radiochemistry at Moscow State University.

Career During his life in the Soviet Union, Alexei never publicly disclosed himself as grandson of Liu Shaoqi. Also, while he was in high school and at his workplace, he kept the information to himself due to the fear of being spied on by the KGB, when Sino-Soviet relations further deteriorated. After graduating from Moscow Aviation Institute, he worked with the Soviet State Space Command Center and later the Russian State Space Command Center, and became a senior engineer.

In the aftermath, Alexei applied for early retirement but his superiors did not approve it. He later appealed to the court and won the case, then retired in 1998. Because his work involved state secrets, according to regulations he could only go abroad five years after retiring. Thus, five years later, in 2003, Alexei went to China for the first time and was welcomed by Wang Guangmei and Liu Shaoqi's living relatives. He then visited Liu Shaoqi's birthplace at Huaminglou town in Ningxiang, Hunan.

Since then, he has visited China multiple times and a few years later, he obtained a permanent residence permit for foreigners and settled in Panyu District in Guangzhou. Presently, he manages a non-commercial organization in Guangzhou that facilitates trade between China and Russia.