China’s Political System in Charts: A Snapshot Before the 20th Party Congress

This report provides a visual representation of China’s leading political institutions and current leaders in the form of 16 CRS-created organization charts and accompanying explanatory text. The charts present China’s political system as it emerged from the Communist Party of China’s (CPC’s) 19th Congress in October 2017 and the First Session of China’s 13th National People’s Congress in March 2018. The CPC is scheduled to convene its 20th Congress in the second half of 2022. Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping is widely expected to seek to extend his time in power at that congress, possibly by seeking a third term as general secretary. That would break a norm established by his two predecessors that general secretaries serve two terms and then step down. Xi is also widely believed to be seeking appointment to a third term as state president at the First Session of the 14th National People’s Congress in March 2023.

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