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Wang Yang

Hailing from one of the country's poorest provinces, Wang Yang lacks the revolutionary pedigree of the so-called "princeling" party leaders. Yet since taking office in 2007, Wang has led a far-reaching crackdown on corruption resulting in several high-profile convictions, including that of former Shenzhen mayor Xu Zongheng. He has also overseen a rise in government transparency, making the provincial capital of Guangzhou the mainland's first city to publish its budget.

Born

5 Mar 1955

Industry

Politics

Job Title

Former Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference

Canadian Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne. Photo: EPA

China-Canada relations

Canada’s finance minister visits China as both countries seek to bolster ties

Francois-Philippe Champagne’s four-day trip comes close on the heels of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to Beijing in January.

1 Apr 2026 - 11:35PM

Trending in China

China actress, 75, sparks debate playing teen, kissing much younger actor in TV drama

4 Mar 2026 - 6:00PM

Accidents and disasters in China

How Beijing’s clean air success left China’s rural farmers in the cold

13 Jan 2026 - 10:58AMvideocam

Cryptocurrency

Uptick in China’s bitcoin mining prompts debate on tapping energy surplus

China’s oversupply rate of solar energy in some regions has exceeded 10 per cent while that of wind energy has reached up to 15 per cent.

30 Nov 2025 - 10:00AM

China’s bitcoin mining market share by hash rate rose from 13.75 per cent in the first quarter of 2025 to 14.06 per cent in the current quarter. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Trending in China

China siblings killed in wasp attack – boy has 300 stings, girl endures 700 stings

On that tragic day, grandma brings duo along to do farm work, pair wander into pine woods before being swarmed by wasps.

13 Sep 2025 - 6:00PM

China's military weapons

Honour guards in China’s military parade to carry PLA’s latest QBZ-191 rifles

The next-generation weapon wins praise for its lightness and reliability on the eve of 80th anniversary commemorations for end of WWII.

2 Sep 2025 - 7:24PM

Trending in China

Dad leaves China boy on highway after sibling spat in car; mum walks 1.5 km to find him

Motorcycle influencer finds abandoned youngster by the side of a busy road, posts video of incident online, sparks anger, debate.

29 Aug 2025 - 10:35AM

A young boy was abandoned on a highway in China by his father following a fight with his older brother in the family’s car. Photo: SCMP composite/Baidu

Women and gender

China’s Weibo shuts down social media accounts for ‘inciting gender antagonism’

The bans target accounts that raised awareness about sexual harassment and women’s issues, as well as one that was critical of feminism.

19 Aug 2025 - 9:14PMvideocam

Hong Kong politics

Be vigilant over possible sabotage during Article 23 legislation, Hong Kong told

Xia Baolong delivers message on enacting domestic national security law to city’s representatives attending country’s annual political gathering in Beijing

4 Mar 2024 - 11:11PM

China’s Communist Party

China’s Communist Party mourns Li Keqiang’s death, praises achievements

Official obituary of former leader, who died in Shanghai on Friday, hails his contributions to the economy, belt and road, poverty relief and his support for President Xi Jinping.

28 Oct 2023 - 4:15AMvideocam

126

Li Keqiang, who served two terms as China’s premier, is dead at 68 after suffering a heart attack on Thursday. Photo: Simon Song

China’s 20th Party Congress

How Shanghai party chief could beat tradition to become China’s next premier

Leading the race for China’s next premier is Shanghai party boss Li Qiang, but he has never served as vice-premier as tradition demands.

20 Oct 2022 - 11:50PMvideocam

Li Qiang, the Communist Party secretary for Shanghai, at the opening ceremony of the national congress in Beijing on Sunday. Photo: AP

China’s 20th Party Congress

Congress delegates embrace Communist Party slogan pledging support for Xi

The ‘two establishments’ has been a consistent theme in panel discussions at the five-yearly gathering, according to Xinhua reports.

20 Oct 2022 - 12:52AMvideocam

IPO

China’s premier conveys support for tech listings for the first time

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has broken his silence and voiced support for the country’s tech firms to go public at home and abroad.

19 May 2022 - 9:00PM

Two Sessions 2022

As Beijing tries to allay small-business fears, is it enough to ease minds?

‘Do not believe nor circulate’ attempts to question China’s basic economic system, China’s CPPCC chairman tells representatives of business communities at ‘two sessions’ gathering.

8 Mar 2022 - 6:15AM

China’s smallest businesses, most of which are privately owned, were failing at a historic pace last year. Photo: Getty Images

Tibet

Don’t point the finger at China over Tibet, says top official

Wang Yang, the number 4 in the party hierarchy, says any attempt to separate Tibet is doomed to failure as international scrutiny of Beijing’s policies grow.

19 Aug 2021 - 10:43PMvideocam

Wang Yang arrives in Lhasa. Photo: Reuters

Xinjiang

Police chief lashes out at ‘attempts to use Xinjiang to contain China’

Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi made the remarks on a visit to the region, saying cooperation on counterterrorism must be stepped up.

26 Mar 2021 - 12:32AMvideocam

Xinjiang

Editorial | Sanctions are not the answer to solving the issue of Xinjiang

Disputes between China and Western nations over alleged human rights abuses in the restive region can be resolved only if both sides recognise the other’s concerns.

24 Mar 2021 - 12:53AMvideocam

Xinjiang

Xinjiang’s leaders must ‘optimise’ governance, Communist Party’s No 4 says

Party ‘must scientifically grasp the situation of the Xinjiang work, focus on the ultimate goal of long-term stability’, Wang Yang says after four-day trip to region.

22 Mar 2021 - 3:56PMvideocam

Chinese President Xi Jinping is seen on a large screen in the Xinjiang city of Kashgar in 2019. Photo: AFP

Greater Bay Area

China’s yuan replaces US dollar as most used currency in Greater Bay Area

The yuan replaced the US dollar as the most used currency in transactions in the Greater Bay Area development zone, a local branch of the country’s central bank said.

16 Jan 2021 - 12:00PM

Xinjiang

Chinese academics divided on idea to turn Kashgar into a municipality

Report says city should be given status of a centrally administered municipality on par with Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Chongqing.

6 Aug 2020 - 7:32PMvideocam

Coronavirus pandemic

Xi Jinping shifts focus to ‘affluent society’ goal, but says Covid-19 threat remains

Communist Party chief has been on the road to promote the message that time is ripe to get the economy back up and running, as deadline on first ‘centenary goal’ looms.

16 May 2020 - 11:24PMvideocam

Chinese President Xi Jinping talks to tea growers on a visit to Shaanxi province last month. Photo: Xinhua

Coronavirus pandemic

Coronavirus threatens to undermine China’s anti-poverty drive

Large parts of the country are under lockdown in an effort to contain Covid-19, hitting poor rural areas and bringing economic activity to a standstill.

20 Feb 2020 - 8:43AMvideocam

Most China’s poorest people live in remote rural areas. Photo: Xinhua

Religion in China

Letters | Why Xi Jinping’s China will fail to shake the faith of Christians

China has rightly understood the transformative effect Christianity can have on a society, and the faith will prove its resilience in the face of persecution once again.

7 Dec 2019 - 8:47AMvideocam

Xinjiang

Wanted: cadres to hold Beijing’s line in Xinjiang as Han Chinese exit

While Muslim communities are in lockdown, the Han population is voting with its feet and leaving the region, sources say.

9 Dec 2019 - 7:18AMvideocam

Xinjiang

‘Liberal’ policy chief unlikely to mean a softening on Xinjiang from China

Appointment of Wang Yang seen as ‘calculated move’ to assuage international concerns, but analysts doubt it will mean a change in Beijing’s hardline approach to the region.

18 Jul 2019 - 12:38AM

The appointment of Wang Yang as the new policy handler for China’s Xinjiang region is unlikely to lead to a softening in policy, despite his liberal reputation. Photo: AFP

US-China trade war

Top Beijing official tells business group to prepare for lengthy trade war

Wang Yang, the country’s No 4 official, meets a delegation from Chinese General Chamber of Commerce and tells them situation may last for a long time.

23 May 2019 - 3:19AM

Jonathan Choi (left) with Wang Yang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Photo: Handout

Two Sessions 2019

Top Chinese adviser urges faith in party’s judgment in face of challenges

China must be ‘prepared to fight tough battles’ this year, the nation’s largest political advisory body is told on the final day of ‘two sessions’.

13 Mar 2019 - 10:58PM

Cultural Revolution

Top Chinese cadre criticises Cultural Revolution for harm to tradition

7 Jun 2018 - 10:24PM

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Wang Yang

Canada’s finance minister visits China as both countries seek to bolster ties

Francois-Philippe Champagne’s four-day trip comes close on the heels of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to Beijing in January.

China actress, 75, sparks debate playing teen, kissing much younger actor in TV drama

How Beijing’s clean air success left China’s rural farmers in the cold

Uptick in China’s bitcoin mining prompts debate on tapping energy surplus

China’s oversupply rate of solar energy in some regions has exceeded 10 per cent while that of wind energy has reached up to 15 per cent.

China siblings killed in wasp attack – boy has 300 stings, girl endures 700 stings

On that tragic day, grandma brings duo along to do farm work, pair wander into pine woods before being swarmed by wasps.

Honour guards in China’s military parade to carry PLA’s latest QBZ-191 rifles

The next-generation weapon wins praise for its lightness and reliability on the eve of 80th anniversary commemorations for end of WWII.

Dad leaves China boy on highway after sibling spat in car; mum walks 1.5 km to find him

Motorcycle influencer finds abandoned youngster by the side of a busy road, posts video of incident online, sparks anger, debate.

China’s Weibo shuts down social media accounts for ‘inciting gender antagonism’

The bans target accounts that raised awareness about sexual harassment and women’s issues, as well as one that was critical of feminism.

Be vigilant over possible sabotage during Article 23 legislation, Hong Kong told

Xia Baolong delivers message on enacting domestic national security law to city’s representatives attending country’s annual political gathering in Beijing

China’s Communist Party mourns Li Keqiang’s death, praises achievements

Official obituary of former leader, who died in Shanghai on Friday, hails his contributions to the economy, belt and road, poverty relief and his support for President Xi Jinping.

How Shanghai party chief could beat tradition to become China’s next premier

Leading the race for China’s next premier is Shanghai party boss Li Qiang, but he has never served as vice-premier as tradition demands.

Congress delegates embrace Communist Party slogan pledging support for Xi

The ‘two establishments’ has been a consistent theme in panel discussions at the five-yearly gathering, according to Xinhua reports.

China’s premier conveys support for tech listings for the first time

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has broken his silence and voiced support for the country’s tech firms to go public at home and abroad.

As Beijing tries to allay small-business fears, is it enough to ease minds?

‘Do not believe nor circulate’ attempts to question China’s basic economic system, China’s CPPCC chairman tells representatives of business communities at ‘two sessions’ gathering.

Don’t point the finger at China over Tibet, says top official

Wang Yang, the number 4 in the party hierarchy, says any attempt to separate Tibet is doomed to failure as international scrutiny of Beijing’s policies grow.

Police chief lashes out at ‘attempts to use Xinjiang to contain China’

Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi made the remarks on a visit to the region, saying cooperation on counterterrorism must be stepped up.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Editorial | Sanctions are not the answer to solving the issue of Xinjiang

Disputes between China and Western nations over alleged human rights abuses in the restive region can be resolved only if both sides recognise the other’s concerns.

Xinjiang’s leaders must ‘optimise’ governance, Communist Party’s No 4 says

Party ‘must scientifically grasp the situation of the Xinjiang work, focus on the ultimate goal of long-term stability’, Wang Yang says after four-day trip to region.

China’s yuan replaces US dollar as most used currency in Greater Bay Area

The yuan replaced the US dollar as the most used currency in transactions in the Greater Bay Area development zone, a local branch of the country’s central bank said.

Chinese academics divided on idea to turn Kashgar into a municipality

Report says city should be given status of a centrally administered municipality on par with Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Chongqing.

Xi Jinping shifts focus to ‘affluent society’ goal, but says Covid-19 threat remains

Communist Party chief has been on the road to promote the message that time is ripe to get the economy back up and running, as deadline on first ‘centenary goal’ looms.

Coronavirus threatens to undermine China’s anti-poverty drive

Large parts of the country are under lockdown in an effort to contain Covid-19, hitting poor rural areas and bringing economic activity to a standstill.

.css-19im5qg{color:#c79a00;}Letters | Why Xi Jinping’s China will fail to shake the faith of Christians

China has rightly understood the transformative effect Christianity can have on a society, and the faith will prove its resilience in the face of persecution once again.

Wanted: cadres to hold Beijing’s line in Xinjiang as Han Chinese exit

While Muslim communities are in lockdown, the Han population is voting with its feet and leaving the region, sources say.

‘Liberal’ policy chief unlikely to mean a softening on Xinjiang from China

Appointment of Wang Yang seen as ‘calculated move’ to assuage international concerns, but analysts doubt it will mean a change in Beijing’s hardline approach to the region.

Top Beijing official tells business group to prepare for lengthy trade war

Wang Yang, the country’s No 4 official, meets a delegation from Chinese General Chamber of Commerce and tells them situation may last for a long time.

Top Chinese adviser urges faith in party’s judgment in face of challenges

China must be ‘prepared to fight tough battles’ this year, the nation’s largest political advisory body is told on the final day of ‘two sessions’.

Top Chinese cadre criticises Cultural Revolution for harm to tradition

Editorial | Sanctions are not the answer to solving the issue of Xinjiang

Letters | Why Xi Jinping’s China will fail to shake the faith of Christians