Previously he served as Minister of Finance of People's Republic of China, and Director-General of the State Administration of Taxation.

At beginning, Xie was in charge of the factory's general facilities, but later he was promoted to its vice-president.

From September 1981 to January 1984, Xie studied at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou and majored in industrial finance management.

In September 1985, Xie was promoted to the provincial government of Zhejiang Province in Hangzhou.

In May 1990, Xie was promoted to the Ministry of Finance of China's central government in Beijing.