Member of the Political Bureau of CPC Central Committee; vice premier of PRC State Council.

Wen joined CPC in April 1965.

From 1960 to 1965, Wen studied in the Department of Geology and Minerals at the Beijing Institute of Geology. From 1965 to 1968, he took postgraduate courses in structural geology in his Alma Mater.

For ten years after 1968, he worked with the Geomechanics Survey Team under the Gansu Provincial Geological Bureau, serving successively as technician, political instructor and head of its political section. He became deputy chief of the Geomechanics Team in 1978, and deputy director of the Gansu Provincial Geological Bureau in 1981.

In 1982 Wen was transferred to Beijing, where he worked in the Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources, serving successively as head of the Policy and Regulations Research Section, vice minister, and deputy secretary of its Leading Party Members' Group and concurrently director of its Political Department.

In 1985 Wen was appointed deputy director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and promoted to the director in 1986.

In 1987 Wen was alternate member of the Secretariat of 13th CPC Central Committee.

From 1988 to 1993, Wen concurrently served as secretary of the Work Committee of Departments under the CPC Central Committee.

In 1992 Wen was alternate member of the Political Bureau and member of the Secretariat of 14th CPC Central Committee.

Wen also served as vice-chairman of the National Committee on Minerals Resources; deputy head of State Leading Group for Science and Technology in 1996.

He has been member of the Political Bureau, member of the Secretariat and member of 15th CPC Central Committee since 1997.

Wen was also member of 13th to 14th CPC Central Committees.

He was elected deputy to 8th and 9th NPC.

Wen was elected member of the Political Bureau of CPC Central Committee in September 1997, and vice premier of PRC State Council on March 18, 1998.

In 1998, Wen was appointed secretary of Financial Work Committee of CPC Central Committee; director of State Flood Control Headquarters; director of National Greening Committee; chairman of China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development; head of Leading Group for Aid-the-Poor Development under State Council.