The head of state and second-highest political position in the People's Republic of China is the president, also referred to as the president of China. In China's political system, the presidency is a largely ceremonial position with very little actual power.
Officially speaking, the presidency is not an administrative position but rather a state institution. The president is not legally vested to exercise his prerogative to take executive action because, according to the constitution, he serves at the pleasure of the National People's Congress (NPC), which is the highest organ of state power and the legislature. The title "state chairman" is the official translation into English for the position, which was first established in the Constitution in 1954.
| S.No | Name | Took Office | Left Office | Time in Office |
| 1. | Mao Zedong | 27 September 1954 | 27 April 1959 | 4 years, 212 days |
| 2 | Liu Shaoqi | 27 April 1959 | 31 October 1968 | 9 years, 187 days |
| Acting | Dong Biwu | 24 February 1972 | 17 January 1975 | 2 years, 327 days |
| Honorary | Soong Ching-Ling | 16–29 May 1981 | Honorary | |
| 3 | Li Xiannian | 18 June 1983 | 8 April 1988 | 4 years, 295 days |
| 4 | Yang Shangkun | 8 April 1988 | 27 March 1993 | 4 years, 352 days |
| 5 | Jiang Zemin | 27 March 1993 | 15 March 2003 | 9 years, 353 days |
| 6 | Hu Jintao | 15 March 2003 | 14 March 2013 | 10 years, 0 days |
| 7 | Xi Jinping | 14 March 2013 | Incumbent | 9 years, 261 days |
The president has the authority to enact laws, choose and remove the premier (the head of government), as well as the ministers of the State Council, grant presidential pardons, declare a state of emergency, order mass mobilization, and bestow state honors, according to the current constitution, which was established in 1982 with minor revisions over the years. The president also appoints and dismisses ambassadors to other nations and signs and revokes treaties with foreign organizations. All of these powers must receive the National People's Congress' approval or confirmation in accordance with the Constitution. In addition, the president makes official trips on behalf of the People's Republic.
The "state visit" clause in the constitution is the only presidential power that does not call for any kind of supervision by the National People's Congress. The president is essentially a ceremonial position with no actual authority over how the state is run because the majority of his or her authority is based on the NPC's approval. Therefore, rather than being a position with actual executive authority, it is intended to serve primarily as a symbolic institution of the state.
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