Xu was the founder of Kehui Power Automation in 1991. He obtained his doctorate in Power System Automation from joint studies at City University London, UK and Xian Jiaotong University in China. In addition to being the Chairman of Kehui Power Automation, he is also a professor at the Shandong University of Technology. He is a member of the advisory group on the Smart Grids Projects Programme of China, a member of the Advisory group to the Operation, Control and Protection Session of CIRED and a member of the Technical Committee of CIRED in China.