BREAKING: China Sentences Ex-Agriculture Minister Tang Renjian to Death with Reprieve

By Ademola Adekusibe
September 28, 2025

China’s former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tang Renjian, has been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for accepting massive bribes, the Changchun Intermediate People’s Court in Jilin Province announced on Friday.

According to the verdict, Tang was found guilty of accepting more than 268 million yuan (about USD 37–38 million) between 2007 and 2024. The court said he used his positions at both central and regional levels to award contracts, influence project approvals, interfere in personnel appointments, and secure other benefits for private individuals and companies in return for bribes.

As part of the judgment, Tang has been stripped of all political rights for life. His personal assets will be confiscated, and all illicit gains and related interests will be turned over to the state treasury.

The court noted that although his offences were severe and caused significant harm to public and state interests, Tang’s cooperation, confession, voluntary surrender of funds, and admission of guilt were considered as mitigating factors. Because of this, his death sentence will be suspended for two years, a punishment that is often commuted to life imprisonment if the convict demonstrates good behavior.

Tang, 63, had been under investigation since May 2024 by China’s anti-graft watchdogs for “serious violations of discipline and law.” He was expelled from the Communist Party in November 2024 and formally removed from public office. His case was publicly heard in July 2025, where he pleaded guilty.

Before his appointment as agriculture minister, Tang served as Governor of Gansu Province and held other senior political positions.

This ruling underscores China’s intensified anti-corruption campaign under President Xi Jinping, which has already targeted thousands of officials, including top-ranking government figures.