Since 2012, the People's Republic of China has officially referred to its present era as the New Era of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, which started when Xi Jinping succeeded Hu Jintao as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) following the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. In 2016, Xi was proclaimed the CCP's fourth leadership core, following Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, and Jiang Zemin.

While overseeing China's domestic policy, Xi has introduced far-ranging measures to enforce party discipline and strengthen internal unity. His anti-corruption campaign led to the downfall of prominent incumbent and retired CCP officials, including former PSC member Zhou Yongkang. For the sake of promoting "common prosperity", Under Xi, China has enacted a series of policies designed to increase equality, overseen targeted poverty alleviation programs as part of the battle against poverty, and directed a broad crackdown in 2021 against the tech sector, as well as drastically curtailing the tutoring industry and reducing homework burdens. Furthermore, China has expanded support for state-owned enterprises (SOEs), emphasized advanced manufacturing and tech development, advanced military-civil fusion, and attempted to reform the country's property sector. Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China, the country initially responded with a zero-COVID policy from January 2020 to December 2022 before ultimately shifting towards a mitigation strategy after widespread protests occurred. In foreign policy, Xi emphasizes the Community of Common Destiny. He seeks to increase China's ability to shape international norms in emerging policy areas (described as "new frontiers") like space and the internet, where China can position itself as an early entrant. Xi also seeks to increase China's discourse power, which he frames as China's "right to speak." Since Xi came to power, China has pursued a more hardline foreign policy particularly with regard to China's relations with the United States, the nine-dash line in the South China Sea, and the Sino-Indian border dispute. Additionally, for the sake of advancing Chinese economic interests abroad, China has sought to expand its influence in Africa and Eurasia by championing the Belt and Road Initiative.

Relations between Beijing and Taipei deteriorated under Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen, successor of Ma Ying-jeou whom Xi met in 2015. In 2020, a national security law in Hong Kong was passed, which clamped down on political opposition in the city, especially pro-democracy activists. Since Xi came to power, China has witnessed a significant increase in censorship and mass surveillance, a deterioration in human rights (including the persecution of Uyghurs), the rise of a cult of personality, the removal of term limits for the presidency in 2018, as well as an increased role for the CCP in society. 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, overseen significant reforms of Party, state and military bodies, while also increasing the CCP's influence over the state bodies.

Terminology The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has described the historical period starting from 2012 as the "New Era of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics" (). The CCP says that the new era is "both consistent with and significantly different from the development of the past nearly 40 years of reform and opening up".

Politics

Political developments Declaring that the "government, the military, society and schools, north, south, east and west – the party leads them all", Xi has taken measures to significantly increase the role of the CCP in public life. In January 2013, the Politburo made a decision to tighten standards for CCP membership. Consequently, the annual increase in the total numbers of new party members dropped from 2.5 percent in 2012 to 1.1 percent in 2014, 0.7 percent in 2016, and 0.1 percent in 2017, before rising to 1.2 percent in 2018. He oversaw a revival of party life meetings, where party members engage in criticism and self-criticism. Under Xi's tenure, the CCP's membership has grown from 85.13 million in 2012 to 100.27 million in 2024.

In November 2013, at the conclusion of the third plenum of the 18th Central Committee, the Communist Party adopted the Decision on Several Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening Reform, a far-reaching reform agenda that alluded to changes in both economic and social policy. The Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms—another ad hoc policy coordination body led by Xi upgraded to a commission in 2018—was also formed to oversee the implementation of the reform agenda. Termed "comprehensive deepening reforms", they were said to be the most significant since Deng Xiaoping's 1992 Southern Tour. The plenum also announced economic reforms and resolved to abolish the laogai system of "re-education through labour", which was largely seen as a blot on China's human rights record. The system faced significant criticism for years from domestic critics and foreign observers.

Xi's administration took a number of changes to the structure of the CCP and state bodies. These reforms have been characterized by the integration of CCP and state bodies. Beginning in 2013, the CCP under Xi has created a series of Central Leading Groups: supra-ministerial steering committees, designed to bypass existing institutions when making decisions, and ostensibly make policy-making a more efficient process. Xi was also believed to have diluted the authority of premier Li Keqiang, taking authority over the economy which has generally been considered to be the domain of the premier. February 2014 oversaw the creation of the Central Leading Group for Cybersecurity and Informatization with Xi as its leader. The State Internet Information Office (SIIO), previously under the State Council Information Office (SCIO), was transferred to the central leading group and renamed the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) in English. As part of managing the financial system, the Financial Stability and Development Committee, a State Council body, was established in 2017. Chaired by vice premier Liu He during its existence, the committee was disestablished by the newly established Central Financial Commission during the 2023 Party and state reforms. Xi has increased the role of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission at the expense of the State Council.

Observers have said that Xi has seriously diluted the influence of the once-dominant Tuanpai, also called the Youth League Faction, CCP officials who rose through the Communist Youth League (CYLC). He criticized the cadres of the CYLC, saying that "[these cadres] can't talk about science, literature and art, work or life [with young people]. All they can do is just repeat the same old bureaucratic, stereotypical talk."

In January 2015, Xi started the practice of "personally listen[ing] to reports from Standing Committee of National People's Congress, the State Council, Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate". In 2015, Xi announced the Four Comprehensives, namely comprehensively build a moderately prosperous society, deepening reform, governing the nation according to law, and strictly governing the Party; in 2021, at the 100th anniversary of the CCP, Xi declared that China achieved its goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. In 2015, Xi oversaw the revamping of the National Honor System.

Xi has had a cult of personality constructed around himself since entering office with books, cartoons, pop songs and dance routines honouring his rule. Xi's cult of personality has been especially pronounced in Xinjiang. In 2016, Xi was proclaimed the CCP's fourth leadership core, following Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, and Jiang Zemin. Following Xi's ascension to the leadership core of the CCP, he had been referred to as Xi Dada (, Uncle or Papa Xi), though this stopped in April 2016. The village of Liangjiahe, where Xi was sent to work, is decorated with propaganda and murals extolling the formative years of his life. The CCP's Politburo named Xi Jinping lingxiu (), a reverent term for "leader" and a title previously only given to Mao Zedong and his immediate successor Hua Guofeng. He is also sometimes called the "pilot at the helm" ().

Xi was re-elected as general secretary and CMC chairman by the 19th Central Committee after the 19th Party National Congress, held between 18 and 24 October 2017; the 19th Politburo was noted for containing no potential successor. A Politburo meeting in October 2017 after the first plenary session of the 19th Central Committee stipulated that all Politburo members must make an annual written presentation to the general secretary and the Central Committee. It also stipulated that the CCP Secretariat, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the Leading Party Members Group of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the Leading Party Members Group of the State Council, the Leading Party Members Group of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the Leading Party Members Group of the Supreme People's Court and the Leading Party Members Group of the Supreme People's Procuratorate must report their work to the Politburo and its Standing Committee every year.

In March 2018, the first session of the 13th National People's Congress passed constitutional amendments including removal of term limits for the president and vice president, the creation of a National Supervisory Commission, as well as enhancing the central role of the CCP. Xi was reappointed as president, now without term limits, while Li Keqiang was reappointed premier. According to the Financial Times, Xi expressed his views of constitutional amendment at meetings with Chinese officials and foreign dignitaries. Xi explained the decision in terms of needing to align two more powerful posts—general secretary of the CCP and chairman of the CMC—which have no term limits. However, Xi did not say whether he intended to be party general secretary, CMC chairman and state president, for three or more terms. The first session of the 13th NPC also adopted the deepening the reform of the Party and state institutions. In that year, several central leading groups including reform, cyberspace affairs, finance and economics, and foreign affairs were upgraded to commissions. The powers of the Central Publicity Department was strengthened, which now oversaw the newly established China Media Group (CMG). Two State Council departments. one dealing with overseas Chinese, and other one dealing with religious affairs, were merged into the United Front Work Department of the CCP while another commission dealing with ethnic affairs was brought under formal UFWD leadership. On 25 December 2019, the Politburo officially named Xi as "People's Leader" (), a title only Mao had held previously. In 2020, all elections at all levels of the people's congress system and NPC were mandated to adhere to the leadership of the CCP.