Yes. There are three key position held by the top leader of China: the general secretary of Chinese Communist party, the chairman of central military commission and chairman of People's Republic. The authority given by each position is listed below:
1. General Secretary of Chinese Communist Party: This position recognize the individual as the leader of Chinese communist party. Unlike western political parties, the CCP functions as an embedded system for Chinese administrative system. This means CCP itself forms the political system. As the leader of Chinese communist party, the general secretary is granted authority over personnel assignments and promotion of administrative positions.
2. Chairman of Central Military Commission: The Central Military Commission has direct authority over People's Liberation Army, the armed force of China. As the chairman of central military commission, the individual is granted authority over the military forces of PRC.
3. Chairman of People's Republic: This position is essentially a position of respect rather than any real authority.
Hu has already transferred the first two positions, the ones with actual authorities, to Xi last year during the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, thus establishing Xi as the current leader of China. By law, the position of Chairman of People's Republic can only be transferred with the approval of people's assembly; therefore, Hu has to wait until CPPCC National Committee this year to hand that title over. Once it is done, Hu would have passed the final torch of leadership to the next generation.
