China is one of the most important but least understood countries in the world. Its decisions will shape the future of international business, diplomacy, and security. This product helps decode the “black box” of Chinese politics through interactive visualizations and explainer essays that map formal institutions, informal networks, key decision-makers, and major policy trends. The homepage analyzes China’s top leadership, while subpages analyze specific policy areas: Economy and Trade; Energy and Environment; Finance; Foreign Affairs; Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet; Military; Security; and Technology.
Top Leadership
Supreme political power in China lies with Xi Jinping, who won a precedent-defying third five-year term as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the 20th Party Congress in October 2022. Xi packed the CCP’s top leadership with allies, ejected the remaining representatives of rival political networks, and established extraordinary control over the party and the country. He also exempted himself and several of his associates from the 20-year norm of Politburo members aged 68 or older retiring (Xi was 69 at the time of the Congress), while forcing leaders with other patrons to retire early, achieving a dominance of Chinese politics not seen since Deng Xiaoping or even Mao Zedong.
Xi’s incredible political maneuvering over the past decade enabled him to take greater advantage of a hierarchical government system that already concentrated a significant degree of decision-making power in the paramount leader. Xi leads the party, the state, and the military, serving concurrently as CCP General Secretary, President of the People’s Republic of China, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC). A critical dimension of his consolidation of power is his ability to install loyal supporters in the lower-level leadership positions to which he must delegate tasks in these institutions.
Of the three institutions that Xi leads, the CCP by far the most important. Put simply, the party decides policy, the state implements policy, and the military defends the party and the country. The party boasts 96.7 million members, but its top decision-making body is the seven-person Politburo Standing Committee (PSC). These leaders of top party and state institutions meet about weekly to address domestic and foreign issues of national concern. Past meetings have focused on COVID-19, Five-Year Plans, natural disasters, economic policy, and Xinjiang. Xi chairs these meetings and sets their agendas.