Xu was born in Wuxi, Jiangsu. He began his higher education in May 1978 at the Nanhua Branch of Nanjing Institute of Chemical Technology, majoring in chemical engineering. In May 1982, he joined the workforce at the Wuxi Calcium Plastic Corrugated Factory. A year later, he took up a youth leadership role as Deputy Secretary of the Youth League Committee at Wuxi Plastics Company. From 1984 to 1987, Xu worked in the Youth League of the Wuxi Light Industry Bureau. In 1987, he became Director of the Wuxi No. 7 Plastics Factory. In June 1989, he was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Wuxi Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League.[2]
In 1993, Xu began working in cross-strait affairs as deputy director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of Wuxi. He was promoted to Director in 1995. During this period, he obtained a master's degree in political economy from Fudan University and participated in an executive program at the University of Maryland in 1997.[3]
In 1999, Xu served as Director of the Wuxi Foreign Economic and Trade Commission, later becoming Propaganda Minister of Wuxi and a member of the Municipal Party Standing Committee in 2001. In 2002, he was promoted to deputy director of the Jiangsu Provincial Taiwan Affairs Office.[2] From 2005 to 2008, he served in Lianyungang as Standing Committee Member and Organization Minister. In 2009, he became Mayor of Lianyungang. Later, he held provincial-level positions such as Executive Deputy Head of Jiangsu's Publicity Department and Director of the Provincial Economic and Information Commission.[4]
In 2017, Xu was appointed Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Wuxi Municipal People's Congress.[5] After leaving this post, he assumed his current role in the field of innovation and emerging technologies.[6]
Xu Yiping has been a delegate to the 12th and 13th National People's Congress, a delegate to the 13th Jiangsu Provincial Party Congress, a member of the 13th Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the CCP, a deputy to the 12th Jiangsu People's Congress, and a deputy to the 16th Wuxi People's Congress.[7]