Wang Lequan

Early Career: Local Government in Shandong

Wang Lequan was born in December 1944 in Shouguang, Shandong, and joined the Chinese Communist Party in March 1966. From 1966 to 1978 he held a series of posts in Shouguang county, including deputy head and standing committee member of the Houzhen commune and deputy party secretary of the Chengguan commune, before rising to Deputy Party Secretary and Deputy Director of the Revolutionary Committee of Shouguang county; from 1978 to 1982 he served as Party Secretary and Director of the Revolutionary Committee of Shouguang county. He then moved into Communist Youth League and provincial party work, serving as Deputy Secretary of the Shandong Provincial Communist Youth League Committee from 1982 to 1986, Deputy Secretary and then, from 1988, Secretary of the Liaocheng Prefectural Committee, and in 1989 became Vice Governor of Shandong province.

Leading Xinjiang and Politburo Membership

In September 1994, Wang Lequan was appointed Party Secretary of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, concurrently serving as First Political Commissar of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and held the post until April 2010 — a tenure of over fifteen years, making him one of the longest-serving leaders of Xinjiang in the reform era. At the CCP's 16th Party Congress in 2002 he was elected to the Politburo, and was re-elected at the 17th Congress, making him the first Xinjiang party secretary to hold a seat on the Politburo while in office. His governing style was characterised by high-pressure security management, with the suppression of the "three evil forces" (separatism, extremism, and terrorism) as the central pillar of his administration.

Following the outbreak of the Ürümqi riots on 5 July 2009, Wang ordered a forceful response against those involved and directed the large-scale arrest operations that followed. International human rights organisations raised concerns over the mass arrests and subsequent death sentences. Wang was removed from his post in April 2010 and succeeded by Zhang Chunxian.

After Xinjiang: The Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission and the China Law Society

After leaving his post as Xinjiang party secretary, Wang Lequan was transferred to become Deputy Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, continuing to hold his Politburo seat until stepping down after the 18th Party Congress in November 2012, formally exiting the central leadership. From November 2013 to March 2019 he served as President of the China Law Society.