[5] He holds a PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (1957) for his thesis The structure of power in North China during the Five Dynasties.

In September 1965, the committee was released and the university accepted the recommendations, triggering students protests, petitions, and boycotts of classes and examinations.

[7][8] In 1968 he went to Canberra to become Professor of Far Eastern History in the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies (RSPAS) at the Australian National University.

[2] On 12 June 2009, he was one of ten eminent persons to receive an honorary degree to celebrate Cambridge University's 800th anniversary;[10] he was awarded a Doctor of Letters (honoris causa).

[15] The Straits Times reported that the Tang Prize Foundation praised his "unique approach to understanding China by scrutinising its long and complex relation with its southern neighbours".

[16] The organisation, which is based in Taiwan, mentioned that his work has "significantly enriched the explanation of the Chinese people's changing place in the world, traditionally developed from an internalist perspective or relation to the West".

[20] The honorary doctorate celebrates the long-standing contributions and value that Wang's scholarly insights bring to Singapore, Southeast Asia, and the world.

[24] Wang was a Distinguished Professorial Fellow at the ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute where he was chairman of the board of Trustees from 1 November 2002 to 31 October 2019.