In December 2011, Wang made the final leap in his political career, becoming the provincial party chief of Gansu. His selection to fill the top post in Gansu was seen as a promotion - although given his Youth League pedigree and his diverse regional experiences, political observers characterized the move to the interior province as the final stage of Wang's lengthy political career, and thus relatively disappointing for Wang, who had spent his political life toiling in various locales around the country.[3]