Su Rong, of the Han ethnic group, was born in October 1948. A native of Taonan, Jilin Province, with postgraduate education background, Su joined the Communist Party of China (CPC) in January 1970 and began his career in January 1974.

Su worked as deputy secretary and secretary of the CPC Najin Commune Committee of Tao'an County, Jilin Province after January 1974, and as standing committee member of the CPC Tao'an County Committee, and secretary of the CPC Najin Commune and Lingxia Commune Committees after March 1975. He was appointed deputy secretary of the CPC Tao'an County Committee in July 1980, and served as secretary of the CPC Fuyu County Committee and member of the CPC Baicheng Prefectural Committee of Jilin Province after March 1983, and as deputy secretary of the CPC Baicheng Prefectural Committee and commissioner of the Baicheng Prefectural Administrative Office after May 1985. He took up offices of secretary of the CPC Baicheng Prefectural Committee and commissioner of the prefecture's Administrative Office in August 1987, and was appointed secretary of the CPC Baicheng Prefectural Committee in January 1988 and secretary of the CPC Siping Municipal Committee of Jilin Province in December 1989. Since March 1990, he had served as secretary of the CPC Siping Municipal Committee and concurrently chairman of the Standing Committee of the Siping Municpal People's Congress. He took up the office of standing committee member of the CPC Jilin Provincial Committee in December 1992, and acted as standing committee member and secretary-general of the CPC Jilin Provincial Committee after January 1993. In June 1995, he began serving as standing committee member of the CPC Jilin Provincial Committee and secretary of the CPC Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefectural Committee of Jilin Province. Since October 1996, he had served as deputy secretary of the CPC Jilin Provincial Committee and secretary of the CPC Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefectural Committee. Between July 1994 and June 1997, Su attended an on-the-job postgraduate course in world economy sponsored by the School of Economics of the Jilin University. He worked as deputy secretary of the CPC Jilin Provincial Committee from December 1997 to March 1998. Between April 1998 and October 2001, he served as member, standing committee member and deputy secretary of the CPC Jilin Provincial Committee.

In October 2001, Su was appointed member, standing committee member and secretary of the CPC Qinghai Provincial Committee, and has concurrently worked as chairman of the Standing Committee of the Qinghai Provincial People's Congress since January 2002.

In August 2003, Su was appointed member, standing committee member and secretary of the CPC Gansu Provincial Committee.

Su is alternate member of the 15th CPC Central Committee.