Censorship in the People's Republic of China (PRC) is implemented or mandated by the PRC's ruling party, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The government censors content for mainly political reasons, but also to maintain its control over the populace. The Chinese government asserts that it has the legal right to control the Internet's content within their territory and that their censorship rules do not infringe on their citizens' right to free speech. Since Xi Jinping became the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party ("de facto" paramount leader) in 2012, censorship has been "significantly stepped up".