Wang Liwei was born in Dingxiang County, Shanxi, in January 1963. He studied agricultural economics and management at Shanxi Agricultural University from September 1979 to August 1984. He later pursued part-time graduate studies at Northwest A&F University and obtained a Master of Agricultural Extension degree.[2]
Wang began his career in August 1984 at the grassroots level in Kelan County, Shanxi, where he served as deputy director of Xibaoyu Commune and later as township head. He subsequently worked in various administrative roles in Xinzhou Prefecture, including as an official in the supervisory bureau and director of the office of the land bureau, as well as deputy director of the prefectural family planning commission. He later served as deputy secretary-general of the Xinzhou Prefectural Committee and director of the reception office.[2]
In February 1999, Wang was appointed deputy secretary of the Communist Party Committee and county magistrate of Kelan County. He became party secretary of Wuzhai County in February 2001. In June 2004, he was transferred to the Shanxi Provincial Department of Agriculture, where he served as a member of the Party Leadership Group and deputy director. From November 2008 to March 2013, he served as party secretary and director of the Shanxi Provincial Agricultural Machinery Bureau.[3]
In March 2013, Wang was appointed party secretary and director of the Shanxi Provincial Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development. In November 2015, he became deputy party secretary of Lüliang and in December 2015 he was appointed mayor, serving until January 2021.[4] He was appointed Vice Chairman of the Shanxi Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in February 2021, and was re-elected to the position in January 2023.[5]