He was elected to the 18th Politburo of the Communist Party of China in November 2012, becoming the first director of the Policy Research Office to hold a seat on the elite ruling council. Following the ascension of Xi Jinping to the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China in November 2012, Wang nurtured a close relationship with Xi, again emerging as one of the central members of Xi's entourage on international trips and seen to be one of Xi's closest advisors.[9][10] He has helped in the construction of the "Chinese Dream"[11] and "Xi Jinping Thought" ideologies.[12]