China Under Xi Jinping

Xi Jinping Administration 以习近平同志为核心的党中央
5th generation Communist leadership of the People's Republic of China
Incumbent
Date formed	15 November 2012
People and organisations
Head of state	Xi Jinping
Head of government	Li Keqiang Li Qiang
No. of ministers	31
Member party	Chinese Communist Party Eight minor parties
History
Election(s)	November 2012 October 2017 October 2022
Legislature term(s)	12th National People's Congress 13th National People's Congress 14th National People's Congress
Predecessor	Hu Jintao Administration/ Xi–Li Administration

His rule is often described as an authoritarian leader by political and academic observers, while his tenure has included an increase of censorship and mass surveillance, deterioration in human rights, including the internment of a million Uyghurs in Xinjiang (which some observers have described as part of a genocide), a cult of personality developing around Xi, and the removal of term limits for the presidency in 2018. Xi's political ideas and principles, known as Xi Jinping Thought, have been incorporated into the party and national constitutions. As the central figure of the fifth generation of leadership of the PRC, Xi has centralized institutional power by taking on multiple positions, including new CCP committees on national security, economic and social reforms, military restructuring and modernization, and the Internet. He and the CCP Central Committee passed a "historical resolution" in November 2021.

The name Xi Jinping administration is officially called the "Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as General Secretary" (以习近平同志为总书记的党中央) from 2012 to 2016, and "Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the Core" (以习近平同志为核心的党中央) since 2016.

Xi Jinping has set three overarching goals for China's economy.^: 10 First, to increase China's capacity for innovation so that it will be able to more actively shape global economic rules.^: 10 Second, to enhance order and security in China's domestic market.^: 10 Third, creating common prosperity and increasing wealth distribution to the poor.^: 10

During the Xi Jinping era, the Chinese government continues to use SOEs to serve non-market objectives and CCP control of SOEs has increased^: 138 while taking some limited steps towards market liberalization, such as increasing mixed ownership of SOEs.^: 141 Although China has promoted its national champion companies since the Jiang Zemin administration,^: 158 it has done so particularly strongly since 2017, especially in the technology sector.^: 91

Since 2015, the CCP has issued several industrial plans designed to emphasize high-tech innovation and digital development.^: 135 These industrial plans include Made in China 2025, the "Action Outline for Promoting the Development of Big Data", and the "Three-Year Action Plan to Promote the Development of a New Generation of Artificial Intelligence Industry".^: 135 China's Thirteenth and Fourteenth Five-Year Plans have also emphasized high-tech and innovative development.^: 135

During the Xi Jinping administration, China has emphasized an economic strategy of dual circulation.^: 170 First, it seeks to rely more on China's domestic consumers.^: 160 Second, it seeks to innovate more domestically developed technology and thereby reduce China's reliance on western technology.^: 160

By 2020, China became the largest trading partner of more than 120 countries.^: 228 At the end of that year, China signed major free trade agreements with the European Union as well as fifteen different Asia-Pacific countries.^: 259 As of at least 2023, China is the world's largest exporter, a status it has maintained continuously since 2010.^: 88

China's was the only major world economy to experience GDP growth in 2020, when its GDP increased by 2.3%. In 2021, China's GDP growth reached 8.1% (its highest in a decade) and its trade surplus reached an all-time high $687.5 billion.

Xi has implemented a number of education reforms.^: 155 Schools are required to adjust their opening hours to be consistent with work hours in their area so that parents can pick-up their children directly after work (in order to reduce reliance on private classes for adult supervision after school hours).^: 155 Schools must also promote health by requiring outdoor physical education classes daily and providing eye examinations twice per term.^: 155 Educational reforms have also limited the amount of homework students can be assigned.^: 156

As part of Xi's 2021 directive on "double lessening" (reducing excessive off-campus tutoring and reducing homework burdens), schools may not assign homework to children to grades one and two, homework is limited to no more than 60 minutes for children in grades three to six, and no more than 90 minutes for middle school children.^: 156 In July 2021, China enacted a series of rules designed to shutdown the private tutoring sector.^: 156

The government's rationale was that rising educational costs were antithetical to the goals of common prosperity.^: 67 Shutting down private tutoring was intended to narrow the education gap between rich and poor.^: 5 Rules issued in July 2021 prohibits new registration of private tuition tutoring centers and required existing centers to re-organize as non-profits.^: 156 Tuition centers are prohibited from being listed on the stock market or receiving "excessive capital."^: 156 They are no longer permitted to offer tutoring on the weekends or during public holidays.^: 156

Since September 2021, private schools providing compulsory education can no longer be controlled by foreign entities or individuals.^: 57 Only Chinese nationals may serve on their Boards of Directors.^: 157

During the Xi Jinping administration, China seeks to shape international norms and rules in emerging policy areas where China has an advantage as an early participant.^: 188 Xi describes such areas as "new frontiers," and they include policy areas such as space, deep sea, polar regions, the Internet, nuclear safety, anticorruption, and climate change.^: 188

In his effort to build additional institutional capacity for foreign policy coordination, Xi Jinping created the National Security Commission (NSC), which absorbed the NSLG.^: 180 The NSC's focus is holistic national security and it addresses both external and internal security matters.^: 180 Xi introduced the holistic security concept in 2014, which he defined as taking "the security of the people as compass, political security as its roots, economic security as its pillar, military security, cultural security, and cultural security as its protections, and that relies on the promotion of international security."^: 3

During the Xi Jinping era, the Community of Shared Future for Mankind has become China's most important foreign relations formulation.^: 6

Xi emphasizes his desire to increase China's discourse power in international matters, often characterizing this in terms of China's "right to speak".^: 103

During Xi's administration, China has often extended state-backed loans for energy and infrastructure-building in exchange for natural resources in regions like Central Asia and Africa.^: 87

"Xi Jinping Thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era" was formally launched at the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party having gradually been developed since 2012, when Xi became General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party.^: 21–26

Standing Committee

Members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party

Rank	Officeholder		Hanzi	19th PSC	Birth	PM	Birthplace	Academic attainment	No. of offices	Ref.
1		Xi Jinping	习近平	Old	1953	1974	Beijing	Graduate Doctoral degree in Marxist legal studies Undergraduate degree in chemical engineering	Twelve Party offices General Secretary, Central Committee Chairman, National Security Commission of the Central Committee Chairman, Central Comprehensively Deepening Reforms Commission of the Central Committee Head, Central Comprehensively Law-Based Governance Commission Head, Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission Head, Central Foreign Affairs Commission Head, Central Auditing Committee Head, Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs of the Central Committee Military offices Chairman, Central Military Commission Commander-in-chief, Joint Operations Command Center of the Central Military Commission of the People's Liberation Army Head, Leading Group for National Defence and Military Reform of the Central Military Commission State offices President of the People's Republic of China
2		Li Qiang	李强	New	1959	1983	Zhejiang	Graduate Master's degree in business administration Graduate programme in world economics Graduate programme in engineering management Undergraduate degree in agricultural mechanisation	Fifteen Party offices Director, Central Financial Commission Director, Central Institutional Organisation Commission Deputy Chairman, National Security Commission of the Central Committee Deputy Chairman, Central Comprehensively Deepening Reforms Commission Deputy Head, Central Comprehensively Law-Based Governance Commission Deputy Director, Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission Deputy Director, Central Foreign Affairs Commission Deputy Director, Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission Deputy Head, Central Integrated Military-Civilian Development Committee Deputy Head, Central Auditing Committee Leader, Central Leading Group for Climate Change and Emissions Reduction Leader, State Council Leading Party Members Group State offices Premier, State Council of the People's Republic of China Director, National Defense Mobilization Commission Director, National Energy Commission
3		Zhao Leji	赵乐际	Old	1957	1975	Qinghai	Graduate Graduate programme in currency and banking Undergraduate degree in philosophy	Four Party offices Leader, Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Party Group Deputy Chairman, National Security Commission of the Central Committee Deputy Head, Central Comprehensively Law-Based Governance Commission State office Chairman, Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
4		Wang Huning	王沪宁	Old	1955	1984	Shanghai	Graduate Master's degree in Marxist legal studies Graduate programme in international politics Undergraduate degree in French	Eight Organisational office Chairman, National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Chairman, China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification Party office Leader, Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Party Group Head, Central Coordination Group for Tibet Affairs Head, Central Coordination Group for Xinjiang Affairs Director, Office of the Central Comprehensively Deepening Reforms Commission Deputy Director, Central Comprehensively Deepening Reforms Commission Deputy Head, Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs
5		Cai Qi	蔡奇	New	1955	1975	Fujian	Graduate Doctoral degree in political economy Post-graduate degree in economic law Undergraduate degree in political education	Fifteen Party offices First-ranked secretary, Secretariat of the Central Committee Director, General Office of the Central Committee Director, Office of the General Secretary of the Central Committee Head, Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission Chairman, Central Guidance Commission on Building Spiritual Civilization Leader, Central Leading Group for Propaganda, Ideology and Culture of the Central Committee Leader, Central Leading Group for Party Building of the Central Committee Director, Capital Planning and Construction Commission Director, Party and State Merit and Honor Commendation Working Committee Director, Central Leading Group for Studying and Implementing "Xi Jinping Thought" Theme Education Deputy Chairman, National Security Commission of the Central Committee Deputy Director, Central Comprehensively Deepening Reforms Commission Deputy Director, Central Institutional Organisation Commission Deputy Director, Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission Deputy Head, Central Integrated Military-Civilian Development Committee
6		Ding Xuexiang	丁薛祥	New	1962	1984	Jiangsu	Graduate Master's degree in science and management Bachelor's degree in engineering	Thirteen Party offices Deputy Leader, State Council Leading Party Members Group Leader, Central Leading Group on Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Head, Air Traffic Control Committee Deputy Head, Central Integrated Military-Civilian Development Committee Director, Office of the Central Integrated Military-Civilian Development Committee State offices First-Ranked Vice Premier of the State Council Head, Food Safety Committee Head, National Greening Committee Head, Central Leading Group for Belt and Road Initiative Construction Head, Central Leading Group for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Head, Central Leading Group for the 3rd Geography Conditions Survey Head, Coordination Group for Promoting Transformation of Government Functions and "Delegation, Regulation, Service" Reform Deputy Director, National Energy Commission
7		Li Xi	李希	New	1956	1982	Gansu	Graduate Master's degree in economics and management Undergraduate degree in literature	Four Party offices Secretary, Standing Committee of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection Director, Central Leading Group for Inspection Work Director, Central Leading Group for Deepening the Pilot Work on Reform of the National Supervision System Deputy Head, Central Auditing Committee

Politburo

Members of the Political Bureau of the 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party

Officeholder		Hanzi	19th POL	Birth	PM	Birthplace	Education	No. of offices	Ref.
	Cai Qi	蔡奇	Old	1955	1975	Fujian	Graduate	Three Party offices First Secretary, Secretariat of the Central Committee Director, General Office of the Central Committee Director, Office of the General Secretary of the Central Committee
	Chen Jining	陈吉宁	New	1964	1984	Liaoning	Graduate	One Party office Secretary, Shanghai Municipal Party Committee
	Chen Min'er	陈敏尔	Old	1960	1982	Zhejiang	Graduate	One Party office Secretary, Tianjin Municipal Party Committee
	Chen Wenqing	陈文清	New	1960	1983	Sichuan	Graduate	One Party office Secretary, Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission
	Ding Xuexiang	丁薛祥	Old	1962	1984	Jiangsu	Graduate	One State office First-Ranked Vice Premier of the State Council
	He Lifeng	何立峰	New	1955	1981	Guangdong	Graduate	Two Party office Director, Office of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission State office Second-Ranked Vice Premier of the State Council
	He Weidong	何卫东	New	1957	1978	Fujian	Undergraduate	Two Party office Second Vice Chairman, Central Military Commission State office Second Vice Chairman, Central Military Commission
	Huang Kunming	黄坤明	Old	1956	1976	Fujian	Graduate	One Party office Secretary, Guangdong Provincial Party Committee
	Li Ganjie	李干杰	New	1964	1984	Hunan	Graduate	One Party office Head, Organization Department of the Central Committee
	Li Hongzhong	李鸿忠	Old	1956	1976	Shenyang	Graduate	One State office First Vice Chairman, Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
	Li Qiang	李强	Old	1959	1983	Zhejiang	Graduate	Eight Party offices Director, Central Institutional Organisation Commission Deputy Director, Central Comprehensively Deepening Reforms Commission Deputy Director, Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission Deputy Director, Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission Deputy Director, Central Foreign Affairs Commission Leader, Central Leading Group for Climate Change and Emissions Reduction Leader, State Council Leading Party Members Group State offices Premier, State Council of the People's Republic of China
	Li Shulei	李书磊	New	1964	1986	Henan	Graduate	One Party office Head, Publicity Department of the Central Committee
	Li Xi	李希	Old	1956	1982	Gansu	Graduate	Two Party office Secretary, Standing Committee of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection Director, Central Leading Group for Inspection Work
	Liu Guozhong	刘国中	New	1962	1986	Heilongjiang	Graduate	One State office Fourth-Ranked Vice Premier of the State Council
	Ma Xingrui	马兴瑞	New	1959	1988	Heilongjiang	Graduate	One Party office Secretary, Xinjiang Provincial Party Committee
	Shi Taifeng	石泰峰	New	1956	1982	Shanxi	Graduate	Two Party office Head, United Front Work Department of the Central Committee Organisational office Vice Chairman, National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
	Wang Huning	王沪宁	Old	1955	1984	Shanghai	Graduate	One Organisational office Chairman, National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
	Wang Yi	王毅	New	1953	1981	Beijing	Graduate	Two Party office Director, Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission State office Minister of Foreign Affairs, People's Republic of China
	Xi Jinping	习近平	Old	1953	1974	Beijing	Graduate	Eleven Party offices General Secretary, Central Committee Chairman, National Security Commission of the Central Committee Chairman, Central Comprehensively Deepening Reforms Commission of the Central Committee Head, Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs of the Central Committee Head, Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic Work of the Central Committee Head, Central Leading Group for Network Security and Information Technology of the Central Committee Military offices Chairman, Central Military Commission Commander-in-chief, Joint Operations Command Center of the Central Military Commission of the People's Liberation Army Head, Leading Group for National Defence and Military Reform of the Central Military Commission Head, Office of the Central Integrated Military-Civilian Development Committee State offices President of the People's Republic of China
	Yin Li	尹力	New	1962	1980	Shandong	Graduate	One Party office Secretary, Beijing City Party Committee
	Yuan Jiajun	袁家军	New	1962	1992	Jilin	Graduate	One Party office Secretary, Chongqing Municipal Party Committee
	Zhang Guoqing	张国清	New	1964	1984	Henan	Graduate	One State office Third-Ranked Vice Premier of the State Council
	Zhang Youxia	张又侠	Old	1950	1969	Beijing	Graduate	Two Party office First Vice Chairman, Central Military Commission State office First Vice Chairman, Central Military Commission
	Zhao Leji	赵乐际	Old	1957	1975	Shandong	Graduate	One State office Chairman, Standing Committee of the National People's Congress