In 2017, he became the Communist Party Secretary of Wuhan, working in that capacity until 2018, when he was appointed as the Secretary-General of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission.

[3] In March 2018, Chen Yixin succeeded Wang Yongqing as the Secretary-General of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission (CPLAC).

[4][5] In February 2020, Chen was announced to be the deputy head of the central government's directing group on Hubei, leading efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic in the province,[6] assisting Vice Premier Sun Chunlan.

[7] On 8 July 2020, Chen announced a two-year campaign to purge "corrupt elements" in the justice system and remove "two-faced officials", who only pay lip service to CCP orders and rules.

[7] The campaign was announced to initially start with a three-month pilot scheme in five cities and four counties in Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Sichuan and Henan, and go nationwide in 2021, lasting until the first quarter of 2022.