Former Tsinghua University President Resigns From National Legislature
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Wang Xiqin, who holds the record for the shortest presidency at Tsinghua University since 1949, has resigned from China’s national legislature, deepening questions about the prominent academic’s career path.
The resignation strips Wang of his roles as a deputy to the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC), a member of its Standing Committee, and a vice chairman of the NPC Education, Science, Culture and Public Health Committee, Xinhua News Agency reported Oct. 28, citing an official announcement. The announcement stated that the Beijing Municipal People’s Congress had accepted his resignation.
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- Wang Xiqin, former Tsinghua University president, resigned from China’s National People’s Congress and related committees.
- His resignation follows the unexplained removal of his NSFC profile; he served as NSFC deputy director after stepping down from Tsinghua in December 2023.
- Wang, a Tsinghua alumnus and military-focused researcher, had an unusually brief presidential tenure and a series of abrupt career changes since 2022.
- February 2022：
- Wang Xiqin was appointed president of Tsinghua University.
- March 2023：
- Wang Xiqin was elected to the NPC Standing Committee and its education committee.
- December 22, 2023：
- Wang Xiqin stepped down as president of Tsinghua University.
- Late December 2023 (about a week after December 22, 2023)：
- Wang Xiqin was appointed a member of the Communist Party group and a deputy director at the NSFC.
- September 12, 2025：
- Wang's last public appearance was noted in a Ministry of Education announcement.
- October 1, 2025：
- Wang's biography was found to have been removed from the National Natural Science Foundation of China website.
- October 28, 2025：
- Xinhua News Agency reported that Wang Xiqin resigned from the National People's Congress and all related roles.
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