He was born in 1939 in Fengrun county, Hebei Province and he joined the CPC in 1956. He is a member of the Standing Committee of CPPCC, and Vice Chairman of the National Economic Committee. Besides, he is honorary Director-General of the Enterprise Research Institute，senior engineer and research fellow, also was the Secretary of the Party Committee and Vice President of DRC.

He graduated from the Dynamics Department of Tsinghua University with a major in automobiles in 1962, and worked as a teacher in the university after graduation.

He worked as a propagandist at the No.2 Automobile Factory in 1970, and since 1971, he served respectively as products design technician, engineer, Deputy Director of the assembly design lab, Deputy Director of the products department, Deputy Chief Engineer and Director of the products department at the No.2 Automobile Factory.

He became Chief Engineer of the No.2 Automobile Factory in 1982.

In August 1984, he was appointed as Director of the No.2 Automobile Factory, while in June 1985, he was concurrently Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Manager in Dongfeng Automobile Industrial Joint Company.

In 1988, he was awarded the title of "National Excellent Entrepreneur", as well as the "National Economic Reform Talent" title.

In May 1992, he worked concurrently as Chairman of the Board of Directors at Shenlong Automobile Co. Ltd.

In July 1992, he served as Vice Chairman and member of the Leading Party Members' Group in the Economic and Trade Office of the State Council.

He worked as Vice Minister of the State Economic and Trade Commission in May 1993.

In 1994, he was offered the post as a part-time professor respectively in Tsinghua University and Beijing University of Technology.

In July 1997, he was member of China Monetary Policy Commission. From 1998-2008, he took the posts respectively as Secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group and Vice President (Vice Minister) of DRC.

He was elected the Independent Non-executive Director in the first Board of Directors of Sinopec in February 2000.

In July 2000, he worked as part-time Dean of the Institute of Public Administration of Tsinghua University.

From February 2000 to April 2003, he was the Independent Non-executive Director in the first Board of Directors of Sinopec, and in April 2003, he was elected the Independent Non-executive Director in the second Board of Directors of Sinopec, but in November 2004, he quit the leading position. He was elected a member of the 10th CPPCC Standing Committee in March 2003.

He was elected Vice Chairman of China Development and Research Foundation in January 2006.

He was elected a member of the 11th CPPCC Standing Committee and Vice Chairman of the Economic Committee in March 2008.

He started to serve as the Chairmen of China Association for Public Companies in February 2012.

For many years, Chen Qingtai has played a leading role in large-scale companies. He was respectively responsible for enterprise reform and development in the State Economic and Trade Commission and policy research work relating to industrial development and enterprise reform in DRC.

He had been in charge of many key research projects including enterprise reform, adjustment of economic structure, governmental functional transformation, rejuvenation of industrial bases in China's northeast regions, automobile industrial development policies, State energy policy, corporate incentive and restraint mechanisms, stock option system, State-owned assets management regulations, government department reforms, and the amendment of the Corporation Law. He was also involved in the formulation of many important policies and key documents of CPC Central Committee and the State Council.