Xi Jinping’s tenure as paramount leader since 2012 has been interpreted as a major turning point for China’s political economy. Academic observers have highlighted a centralisation of power, a more coercive form of authoritarian governance, as well as governmental efforts to reposition China at the top of regional and global value chains. The notion of a significant shift has gained further currency after the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in 2017, when Xi heralded the beginning of a ‘new era’ and stressed China’s ambition to assume a leading role in world politics. Yet, does China under Xi really mark such a stark departure from preceding political economic trajectories? What continuities and ruptures characterise the ‘new era’? This special issue aims to enhance our understanding of China under Xi Jinping through articles that analyse China’s global economic and geopolitical engagement, class dynamics at the sectoral level, as well as current state-labour relations.