The president of the PRC is the head of state of the PRC and the supreme representative of China both internally and externally. The president and vice president of the PRC are elected by the NPC. The NPC has the power to remove from office the president of the PRC. The president of the PRC is elected for a term of five years and shall serve no more than two consecutive terms.

The president of the PRC, in pursuance of the decisions of the NPC and its Standing Committee, promulgates statutes; appoints and removes the premier, vice premiers, state councilors, ministers in charge of ministries or commissions, the auditor general and the secretary general of the State Council; confers state medals and titles of honor; issues orders of special pardons; proclaims martial law; declares a state of war; and issues mobilization orders. The president of the PRC also receives credentials offered by foreign diplomatic representatives on behalf of the PRC and, in pursuance of the decisions of the NPC Standing Committee, appoints and recalls plenipotentiary representatives abroad and ratifies and abrogates treaties and important agreements concluded with foreign states.

Previous presidents of the PRC were Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, Li Xiannian, Yang Shangkun and Jiang Zemin.

The First Session of the 10th NPC elected Hu Jintao as president and Zeng Qinghong as vice president of the PRC.