He was formerly the Communist Party secretary of Hebei province and mayor of Tianjin, one of the four direct-controlled municipalities of China.

Born in Xi'an, Wang spent his early career in his home province of Shaanxi.

Then he made his way into the Xi'an municipal government, serving as secretary in the city's party committee general office.

In July 2004, Wang was transferred to become deputy director of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce.

In September 2016, following the dismissal and disciplinary investigation into Huang Xingguo, Wang was named mayor of Tianjin.