Xingang Wang: The most logical choice

Xingang Wang. Photo: Paul Michael Hughes

For Xingang Wang, going into politics was a natural choice that was reflected in his logical approach.

Originally from Heilongjiang, China, Xingang came to the UK to pursue his masters in engineering at the Imperial College, London in 2001. He was offered a job at an international engineering consultancy when he graduated.

“After I started working, my interest changed - I realised that the engineering job itself was not challenging enough,” Xingang said, which led him to consider switching careers to finance.

“I enjoy number crunching, I enjoy spreadsheets.”

Xingang went on to pursue his second masters in mathematical finance offered by Oxford University and has worked in the banking sector ever since 2006.

As a parish councillor, Xingang utilises both his engineering and finance skills to serve his community in Elmbridge, Surrey. He also balances his time fulfilling his magisterial duties and spending time with his family.

What made you decide to join politics?

I was actively involved in volunteering when I was working. A friend then asked me if I can help him to deliver his election leaflets for the street I lived in. I looked at his leaflets and they said that his priority is to improve education. I found out that what he did by running an election is actually very similar to what I’m interested in, which is actually volunteering in different charity work.

Slowly I wanted to find out that since I’m interested in volunteering, give back to society and the community, politics is a better way for me to get involved. That’s when I start to actually discover what are the kind of roles and opportunities available. And that’s how I discover I am able to run a local election, get involved in politics, and that’s when I started.

How old were you then?

It was around 2013 so I was 33.

Which party did you join and why?

Before I joined the Conservatives, I actually look at which political party I need to support. So you can just go to Google and type in the keywords which political party should I support or which political party do I actually join. By typing these keywords, you’ll be able to see the search engine results of different questionnaires - based on your answers, it gives you roughly which political party is more in line with your political drive and opinions.

From there, to me, I found out that the Conservative value is much closer to mine. For example, my strong value is on the economy - I want to see a strong economy. Families, I want to make sure that the family is looked after and education, that the kids will receive the best education. These are not only my values but also universal British Chinese society values. They so happened to be called the Conservative values.

That makes it easy for me to actually build a natural and closer connection with the Conservative Party and that’s why I joined the Conservatives.

Eventually what made you decide to stand as councillor for your area?

When I was helping my friend deliver leaflets then, after a few rounds I realised this is quite interesting and something I want to get involved in. I asked my friend can I actually stand as a candidate myself next year. He was quite supportive so 2014, is the first time I’ve stood as a local candidate in the local election. It was quite an encouraging and enjoyable experience.

After that, I decided to see if I can get involved with the general election in 2015. So I’ve been asked to reach out and I managed to get myself to pass all the assessments, make myself an approved candidate to run the federal election.

How long was the process to get you involved in that?

I think it depends on if you have a few friends supporting you and guiding you throughout the process. For a local election, I was quite fortunate to receive the support of a local councillor with 30 years of experience.

When I first joined I told him that I was quite nervous and didn’t know how to go door-knocking and speak to the local residents. He said, ‘Don’t worry. Let’s do it together.’ He actually showed me and walked with me, door to door. While he communicated with the residents, he just let me observe and then we will move on to the next door. Slowly I start to know what can be done and to also pick up a few tips - these things helped me grow quickly.

So it depends on what kind of supportive network you have. If you have someone you are actually willing to show you and guide you through, that will make your process really quick. When I decided to run for the local election, it took a few months time. As long as you’re interested and when the timing is right, you are able to become a candidate and join the election.

What are the things you currently do as a parish councillor?

I'm currently the vice-chairman of the council and will run the council if the chairman is not available. The council has 10 councillors, and we'll break it down into two committees. The Highway Committee looks after anything that is related to the road. Another committee is the Planning Committee that looks at house extensions and building houses.

We meet once a month to look at all the planning applications submitted by the local residents and provide comments. We're not allowed to make a final decision of approval or rejections as that will be done by the borough council. We work very closely with the borough council as they have more resources to actually make a decision on the planning applications.

As a vice-chairman, I also review the performance of the clerk.

Oaken Lane roundabout that Xingang oversaw leak fixtures. Photo: Xingang Wang

Do you have any notable projects as a councillor?

When I was first elected as councillor, I brought in my engineering skills to fix the local roundabout. A resident complained that it was leaking. The local utility company came to fix it but it will still leak every two months. The residents brought it to the council and I took over this issue.

I compiled the communication history and look at the drawings to produce an engineering report, which I then sent to the utility company. The company was working slowly so I wrote to my MP to put the pressure on and was able to work with the CEO of the utility company to deal with the water leak. It was fixed within a few weeks and it has never leaked ever since.

Another thing was one year I look at the cost of finance and decide what tax to raise. I prepared the calculation and proposed to the council a zero tax increase.

What motivated you to stand as a candidate for MP?

I think it's a combination of few things.

Number one, getting involved in politics, is a good way for me to give back to communities. So it doesn't matter which role I go for as long as it’s something that I enjoy and want to do, I want to do it.

Number two is encouragement from friends. This is where the importance of the Conservative Friends of the Chinese really come in. That organisation attract a bunch of British Chinese who share similar values and encourage each other. I was actually encouraged by friends there to actually stand in Parliament.

Did you face any challenges or obstacles based on your identity when you were campaigning to be both councillor and MP?

Before I started my first campaign, I was quite worried that although I’m British Chinese, I still speak with a Chinese accent. Would people care about what I do, what I say, and what I look like?

But after a few door knocking exercises, I realised that my worries don’t exist. Once the door is opened, the resident will normally speak to you on the local issues and concerns. They don’t really care about the colour of your skin - what they care about is can you get the job done and can you represent them and listen to their views.

We think we are quite special as British Chinese, being the first generation to run elections and get into politics. But for the residents, I’m just another candidate. They have so many ethnic minority political candidates knocking on their doors in their life that they’re used to it. Once I realised this reality, I started to think that what I look like doesn’t really matter. What matters is can I keep the promises I make and get things done.

What do you hope to do more for your community as a councillor?

The community has shaped who I am that when I have the ability, I’m always keen to give back. That’s why I actually want to use as much time as I can balancing my work, family, and volunteer work. I’ve also tried to stand in borough elections for the last few years as I can be both parish councillor and borough councillor.

In terms of the magistrate, I’m actually working on another role which will be released in a few months time. The role is to speak in the local communities about the diversity and inclusion of a magistrate.

Would you stand again as a parliamentary candidate?

Of course, it’s always interesting and it’s on my agenda. I see politics as a long term project, a marathon. You have to keep running to eventually reach what you want to achieve. If you can’t reach what you achieve, at least you enjoy the journey. Also, I want to see politics as a hobby, which you do for a long time.