Citizens of the PRC who have the right to vote and stand for election and have reached the age of 45 are eligible for election as president of the PRC.

The president of the PRC is nominated by the Presidium of the NPC and elected by the NPC by voting based on a single candidate. 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.

In the event that the office of the president of the PRC falls vacant, the vice president succeeds to the office of the president. In the event that the office of the vice president of the PRC falls vacant, the NPC shall elect a new vice president to fill the vacancy. In the event that the offices of both the president and the vice president of the PRC fall vacant, the NPC shall elect a new president and a new vice president. Prior to such election, the chairman of the NPC Standing Committee shall temporarily act as the president of the PRC.

The functions and powers of the president of the PRC prescribed in the current Constitution are as followings:

I. Internal functions and powers:

1. Promulgate statutes: Statutes adopted by the NPC and its Standing Committee go into official effect upon promulgation by the president of the PRC. The president of the PRC has no power to veto the statutes and shall promulgate any statute adopted by the NPC and its Standing Committee. No statute shall become effective without the promulgation of the president of the PRC.

2. Issue decrees: The president of the PRC, in pursuance of the decisions of the NPC and its Standing Committee, appoints or 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; proclaims a state of war; and issues mobilization orders.

II. External functions and powers:

1. Receive the credentials offered by foreign diplomatic representatives on behalf of the PRC;

2. Appoint or recall plenipotentiary representatives abroad in pursuance of the decisions of the NPC Standing Committee; and

3. Ratify or abrogate treaties and important agreements concluded with foreign states in pursuance with the decisions of the NPC Standing Committee. The president of the PRC shall promulgate the treaties and agreements concluded by the State Council or its relevant departments with foreign countries, which have been ratified or abrogated by the NPC or its Standing Committee.

China's head of state system is a collective leadership. The president of the PRC is subject to the NPC and receives instructions from the highest organ of State power.

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

Current president of China is Jiang Zemin and vice president is Hu Jintao.