Wang Rulin (; born April 1953) is a Chinese politician and senior regional official. He is serving as Vice-Chairperson of the
National People's Congress Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee. From 2014 to 2016, Wang was the
Communist Party Secretary
A Party Committee Secretary () is the leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) organization in a province, city, village, or other administrative unit. In most cases, it is the ''de facto'' highest political office of its area of jurisdictio ...
of
Shanxi
Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...
province, where he managed anti-corruption efforts as part of the greater
anti-corruption campaign under Xi Jinping
A far-reaching anti-corruption campaign began in China following the conclusion of the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2012. The campaign, carried out under the aegis of Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Chinese ...
. Wang formerly served as
Party Secretary (2012–14) and Governor (2009–12) of
Jilin
Jilin (; alternately romanized as Kirin or Chilin) is one of the three provinces of Northeast China. Its capital and largest city is Changchun. Jilin borders North Korea (Rasŏn, North Hamgyong, Ryanggang and Chagang) and Russia (Prim ...
province.
Biography
Early life
Wang Rulin was born in 1953 and is recorded as a native of
Puyang
Puyang is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Henan province, People's Republic of China. Located on the northern shore of the Yellow River, it borders Anyang in the west, Xinxiang in the southwest, and the provinces of Shandong and Hebei ...
,
Henan
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...
province. During the
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...
, Wang worked in
Fusong County
Fusong County () is a county in southern Jilin province, China. It is under the administration of Baishan City, with a population of 310,000 residing in an area of . The county contains the Changbaishan Airport, which opened on 3 August 2008, and ...
, Jilin performing manual labour as a
sent-down youth
The sent-down, rusticated, or "educated" youth (), also known as the ''zhiqing'', were the young people who—beginning in the 1950s until the end of the Cultural Revolution, willingly or under coercion—left the urban districts of the ...
. He then went on to work for the local forestry production unit. He joined the
Chinese Communist Party
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victoriou ...
in November 1973. In 1975, he was recommended to partake in cadre training courses held by the Communist Party, and was then sent to work for the provincial administration of forestry and agriculture. He obtained a bachelor's degree at Jilin Agricultural University. In August, 1987, he became the provincial head of the
Communist Youth League of China
The Communist Youth League of China (CYLC), also known as the Young Communist League of China or simply the Communist Youth League (CYL), is a youth movement of the People's Republic of China for youth between the ages of 14 and 28, run by the ...
.
In 1990, he went to study for a master's degree in economics from
Jilin University
Jilin University (JLU; ; often abbreviated JLU or ) is a leading national research university located in Changchun, China. It is under the direct jurisdiction of China's Ministry of Education. It is a Chinese Ministry of Education Class A Doub ...
.
Jilin
Wang Rulin became the mayor of
Tonghua
Tonghua () is a prefecture-level city in the south of Jilin province, People's Republic of China. It borders North Korea's Chagang Province to the south and southeast, Baishan to the east, Jilin City to the north, Liaoyuan to the northwest, an ...
in 1993, and the city's party chief in 1994. In 1998 he was transferred to
Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture
Yanbian (; Chosŏn'gŭl: , ''Yeonbyeon''), officially known as the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, is an autonomous prefecture in the east of Jilin Province, China. Yanbian is bordered to the north by Heilongjiang Province, on the west by ...
to be the prefectural party chief. In 2001 Wang was promoted to executive vice governor of Jilin province, and became the party secretary of the provincial capital
Changchun
Changchun (, ; ), also romanized as Ch'angch'un, is the capital and largest city of Jilin Province, People's Republic of China. Lying in the center of the Songliao Plain, Changchun is administered as a , comprising 7 districts, 1 county and 3 c ...
in 2004. In December 2009 he was appointed the acting governor of Jilin, and was officially elected Governor in January 2010. In December 2012 he was promoted to Communist Party Secretary of Jilin.
In September 2014 he was appointed party chief of Shanxi province, replacing
Yuan Chunqing. Governor
Bayanqolu
Bayanqolu (; born 5 October 1955) is a Chinese politician of Mongol ethnicity. He served as the Communist Party Secretary of Jilin Province from 2014 to 2020 and the Governor of Jilin from 2012 to 2014; Bayanqolu was, at the time of his appointme ...
succeeded him in his post as party chief of Jilin.
Shanxi and beyond
In Shanxi, Wang was known as an effective enforcer of the party's regulations, and worked to fill posts vacated by officials dismissed as part of a widespread anti-corruption campaign. He won particular praise for the way he had executed the 'clean-up' of the Shanxi political scene.
However, the province's economy suffered during his tenure. Official numbers indicated that the province's growth rate in 2015 had slowed to a mere 3.1%, far short of the 9% goal.
In June 2016, it was announced that Wang would be replaced in his leadership position in Shanxi province. The move was unexpected because Wang had not yet reached the typical retirement age for officials of provincial ministerial rank, normally at 65. In addition, having won praise for his anti-corruption efforts in Shanxi, many observers believed Wang was destined for higher office. Wang was replaced by
Luo Huining
Luo Huining (; born 5 October 1954) is a senior member of the Chinese Communist Party who is Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong. A native of Yiwu, Zhejiang, he was previously the Governor, then Party S ...
, who possessed a doctorate in economics, ostensibly to re-focus the priority of the province on economic growth.
On July 2, 2016, Wang was appointed as vice chair of the
National People's Congress Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee.
Wang was an alternate member of the
17th Central Committee and is a full member of the
18th Central Committee of the
Chinese Communist Party
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victoriou ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wang, Rulin
Living people
1953 births
Governors of Jilin
Chinese Communist Party politicians from Henan
People's Republic of China politicians from Henan
Jilin University alumni
Political office-holders in Shanxi
Alternate members of the 17th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
Members of the 18th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party