Policies are in the epicenter of, if not in the driving seat for, educational development in any societal context. Since the turn of the 21st century alongside China's re-emergence as a global superpower, educational policies in China have witnessed fundamental transformations as they have been maneuvered with ambitious plans for national, regional, or system changes. These policies range from compulsory education to higher education, from curricular reform to system innovations, and from quantitative growth in educational access to quality improvement aiming at world-class status. This special issue of "Chinese Education and Society" focuses on "New Trends of Educational Policies in China: Transcending Localization and Globalization," providing updated empirical findings, policy insights, and critical reflections on various dimensions of policy development in China's education for the 21st century. The nine articles published in this volume illustrate in a lively way the latest policy trends and themes of educational development in China in recent decades.