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The most powerful people in the world-ranked

See the list of the world's most influential leaders

4. Xi Jinping, 64, current General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, President of the People's Republic of China, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission. As Xi holds the top offices of the party and the military, in addition to being the head of state through the office of the president, he is sometimes referred to as China's "Paramount Leader" and recognized by the party as its leadership "core". As General Secretary, Xi holds an ex-officio seat on the Politburo Standing Committee, China's top decision-making body. Considered the central figure of the People's Republic's fifth generation of leadership, Xi has significantly centralized institutional power by taking on a wide range of leadership positions, including chairing the newly formed National Security Commission, as well as new steering committees on economic and social reforms, military reform, and the Internet. Xi has called for further market economic reforms, for governing according to the law and for strengthening legal institutions, with an emphasis on individual and national aspirations under the neologism "Chinese Dream". Xi has also championed a more assertive foreign policy, particularly with regards to Sino-Japanese relations, China's claims in the South China Sea, and its role as a leading advocate of free trade and globalization. He has also sought to expand China's regional influence through the One Belt, One Road initiative, played a leading role in the fight against climate change, and invested heavily in energy and natural resources. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
4. Xi Jinping, 64, current General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, President of the People's Republic of China, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission. As Xi holds the top offices of the party and the military, in addition to being the head of state through the office of the president, he is sometimes referred to as China's "Paramount Leader" and recognized by the party as its leadership "core". As General Secretary, Xi holds an ex-officio seat on the Politburo Standing Committee, China's top decision-making body. Considered the central figure of the People's Republic's fifth generation of leadership, Xi has significantly centralized institutional power by taking on a wide range of leadership positions, including chairing the newly formed National Security Commission, as well as new steering committees on economic and social reforms, military reform, and the Internet. Xi has called for further market economic reforms, for governing according to the law and for strengthening legal institutions, with an emphasis on individual and national aspirations under the neologism "Chinese Dream". Xi has also championed a more assertive foreign policy, particularly with regards to Sino-Japanese relations, China's claims in the South China Sea, and its role as a leading advocate of free trade and globalization. He has also sought to expand China's regional influence through the One Belt, One Road initiative, played a leading role in the fight against climate change, and invested heavily in energy and natural resources. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

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