🇨🇳 China
One-party socialist republicClosed autocracy
Xi Jinping
President · 4,918 days in office · 556 days remaining
How the political system works in China
China's president is not chosen by public vote. The National People's Congress, China's parliament, appoints the president every five years. A rule limiting presidents to two terms was removed in 2018, so there is now no limit at all. In practice, real power comes from leading the Communist Party.
Tenure records
Longest-serving
Xi Jinping
4,918 days
Shortest-serving
Mao Zedong
1,673 days
Average tenure
2,668 days
Xi Jinping: 84% above average
Recent presidents by days in office
Is a leader's tenure getting longer or shorter in China?
Across 6 completed terms, the average president of China has served 2,668 days (about 7.3 years). That has stayed fairly steady: the last five completed terms averaged 2,867 days.
One completed term Average tenure per decade
All presidents of China
| # | Name | Took office | Left office | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 |  Xi Jinping | Mar 14, 2013 | Incumbent | 4,918 |
| 6 |  Hu Jintao | Mar 15, 2003 | Mar 14, 2013 | 3,652 |
| 5 |  Jiang Zemin | Mar 27, 1993 | Mar 15, 2003 | 3,640 |
| 4 |  Yang Shangkun | Apr 9, 1988 | Mar 27, 1993 | 1,813 |
| 3 |  Li Xiannian | Jun 18, 1983 | Apr 8, 1988 | 1,756 |
| 2 |  Liu Shaoqi | Apr 27, 1959 | Oct 31, 1968 | 3,475 |
| 1 |  Mao Zedong | Sep 27, 1954 | Apr 27, 1959 | 1,673 |
Officeholder history via Wikidata. Multiple rows for one person indicate separate terms.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is the President of China?
- Xi Jinping has been President of China since Mar 14, 2013.
- How is the leader of China chosen?
- China's president is not chosen by public vote. The National People's Congress, China's parliament, appoints the president every five years. A rule limiting presidents to two terms was removed in 2018, so there is now no limit at all. In practice, real power comes from leading the Communist Party.
- Who is the longest-serving President of China?
- Xi Jinping, with 4,918 days in office.
- Are leaders serving longer or shorter terms in China?
- Across 6 completed terms, the average president of China has served 2,668 days (about 7.3 years). That has stayed fairly steady: the last five completed terms averaged 2,867 days.