Wang Anshun (; born December 1957) is a Chinese politician who served as Mayor of Beijing between 2012 and 2016, the 15th person to hold the office under Communist Party rule. Wang began his career in geological exploration, then made the transition into politics, serving in

Gansu Gansu (, ; alternately romanized as Kansu) is a province in Northwest China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeast part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibet ...

, Shanghai, and Beijing through his career.

Early life and education

Wang was born in Huixian, Henan Province, in 1957. He attended the Wuhan College of Geology. Wang also obtained a master's degree in economics from

Nankai University Nankai University (NKU or Nankai; ) is a national public research university located in Tianjin, China. It is a prestigious Chinese state Class A Double First Class University approved by the central government of China, and a member of the fo ...

Career

Wang joined the Chinese Communist Party in March 1984. He began to work in the petroleum industry and was in charge of oil exploration in northeastern Jilin Province, before obtaining his master's degree at Nankai. From July 1999 to September 2001, Wang worked in the Communist Party Committee of Gansu Province as head of the provincial organization department. Wang was transferred to Shanghai in September 2001, and, in April 2003, he was promoted to the position of Deputy Party Secretary of Shanghai. In March 2007, he was transferred to the same position in Beijing, and, in January 2011, he additionally became chairman of the People's Political Consultative Conference of Beijing. In July 2012, Wang's predecessor Guo Jinlong resigned from his position as Mayor of Beijing, and Wang Anshun was appointed mayor in his place. It is not clear how Wang won favour over the years to take on what was evidently the most important mayoralty in China;

Wang Qishan Wang Qishan (; ; born 19 July 1948) is a Chinese politician, and the current Vice President of the People's Republic of China. Wang is one of the leading figures behind China's foreign affairs, along with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Ke ...

and Liu Qi had both held the position, prior to their ascendancy to the Politburo. Initially, Chinese-language media speculated that Wang's candidacy was advocated by

Wen Jiabao Wen Jiabao (born 15 September 1942) is a retired Chinese politician who served as the Premier of the State Council from 2003 to 2013. In his capacity as head of government, Wen was regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic policy ...

, with whom Wang shared a background in geology. Wang, who was a relatively youthful 55 at the time of his appointment, seemed destined for the coveted Beijing party chief position. On 28 January 2013, he was duly elected Mayor of Beijing by the Municipal People's Congress. Wang's term lasted just over four years, during which assisted in Beijing's successful bid for the

2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics (2022年冬季奥林匹克运动会), officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), was an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beij ...

. On 30 October 2016, Wang resigned as mayor of Beijing, revealing that he was being transferred to another position. Wang was succeeded by

Cai Qi Cai Qi (; born December 5, 1955) is a Chinese politician, the current First Secretary of the Secretariat of the Chinese Communist Party and the fifth-ranking member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee. Cai began his career in Fujian province ...

, an ally of Xi Jinping. Wang was transferred to the Development Research Center of the State Council. Wang was an alternate member of the

17th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party The 17th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party was elected by the 17th Congress on 21 October 2007, and sat until the 18th National Congress in 2012. The 17th CC is composed of full members and alternate members. It was followed by the ...

, and a member of the 18th Central Committee.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wang, Anshun 1957 births Living people Politicians from Xinxiang Nankai University alumni Mayors of Beijing Chinese Communist Party politicians from Henan People's Republic of China politicians from Henan Political office-holders in Shanghai Political office-holders in Gansu People from Huixian