Wang's track record in Chongqing earned him national attention, for his work of bringing a geographically remote and relatively underdeveloped region onto the international scene.
[6] Bo Xilai was subsequently arrested for a variety of charges and sentenced to life imprisonment, and official evaluation of his "crime"-fighting campaign recognizes that it encompassed gross violations of civil rights, with almost 1,000 people sent to labor camps, and served to a large extent as a tool for Bo Xilai to consolidate power and take over economic resources.
[7][8][9] As part of a party-wide reshuffle of regional leaders, Wang Yang was slated to become CCP Committee Secretary of Guangdong after the 17th Party National Congress.
As the post was considered one of the most important regional leadership offices in China, he also earned a seat on the Communist Party's Politburo, the country's second-highest ruling council.
Wang's entry to the Politburo came as a surprise to some observers, given that prior to 2007, he had not even held full membership in the Central Committee, a larger body composed of around 200 members consisting mostly of provincial- and minister-level party officials.
He was instrumental in pushing Guangdong province, already dubbed China's "breeding ground of reform", towards even greater economic and political freedoms.
Wang's unique leadership style set him apart from normally colourless and risk-averse provincial administrators who parrot the party line.
Amid the global financial crisis of 2008, Guangdong faced a mass wave of bankruptcies of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
[13] During his term in Guangdong, Wang also became an outspoken critic of corruption and nepotism, reputedly putting him at odds with the family of the late general Ye Jianying.
[1] Wang was widely touted in the lead up the 18th Party National Congress as a rising star, likely slated for Politburo Standing Committee (PSC) membership in 2012.
[1] While Wang did not make it to the pinnacle of Chinese political life as was predicted early on by some observers, he was reappointed as a member of the Politburo membership at the 1st Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee on 15 November 2012.
In March 2013, Wang Yang was appointed as the Vice Premier in Li Keqiang's government at the first session of the 12th National People's Congress, overseeing portfolios of agriculture, water management, commerce, tourism, and poverty reduction.
In his capacity as Vice Premier, Wang frequently met with international dignitaries and accompanied Xi Jinping or Li Keqiang on trips abroad.
However, his periodic displays of bold political views seem to have receded to the background as the new group of party leaders gradually coalesced around Xi Jinping's ideology.
Following the 4th Plenum of the 18th Central Committee held in October 2014, Wang published an article on the party mouthpiece People's Daily in which he praised the legal reforms discussed at the plenum and said that China will learn from its own culture and experience and will never "copy models or philosophies of other countries" when it comes to legal reform.
[14] Wang has taken on several important roles in heading ad hoc policy coordination steering committees known as Central Leading Groups.
According to a source quoted by the South China Morning Post, Wang reported to Xi Jinping that measures targeting Muslim ethnic minorities in Xinjiang have triggered widespread discontent among Han Chinese officials and citizens.
[21] Wang and Bo's opposing views on what was dubbed the "Cake Theory" have been characterized as an increasingly apparent "left-right" ideological divide within China's ruling elite.
In a session with U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, Wang remarked "I am aware that the US allows gay marriage, but I don't think Jacob and I have such intentions."