He Ping was born in Beijing in January 1957, with ancestral roots in Zhejiang Province. In 1976, he was sent to the countryside for rural labor during the Down to the Countryside Movement. He later attended Peking University, where he graduated in 1982 with a degree in journalism from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature.[2][3]
After graduation, He joined the Xinhua News Agency and advanced through several key editorial positions, including deputy director of the Political News Division of the Domestic News Department, assistant to the director, and later assistant to the editor-in-chief.[4] He subsequently served as deputy editor-in-chief and executive deputy editor-in-chief of Xinhua, as well as deputy president and Chinese Communist Party Deputy Committee Secretary of the agency.[5] In 2007, He Ping became editor-in-chief of Xinhua News Agency. In October 2020, he was appointed president, Party secretary, and concurrently editor-in-chief of the agency. In June 2021, he continued to serve as president and Party secretary.[6]
In June 2022, He was appointed deputy director of the Committee on Culture, History, and Learning of the 13th CPPCC. In March 2023, he was elected as a member of the Standing Committee of the 14th CPPCC and became director of its Foreign Affairs Committee.[1][7]
Throughout his career, He Ping has been a senior journalist recognized with the State Council's Special Government Allowance for his contributions to journalism.[8] He is a member of the Chinese Communist Party and has served as a member of the 17th, 18th, and 19th Central Commissions for Discipline Inspection. He was also a delegate to the 15th through 19th National Congresses of the Chinese Communist Party. He has held numerous positions within the All-China Journalists Association, including vice president of the 7th Council and president of the 10th Council.[9]