China’s former Minister of Agriculture, Tang Renjian, has been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve after being found guilty of accepting massive bribes, a court in Changchun, Jilin province announced on Sunday.
According to the court, Tang accepted cash and property bribes worth more than 268 million yuan ($38 million) between 2007 and 2024. The ruling stated that his actions “caused particularly severe losses to the interests of the state and the people, and therefore warranted the death penalty.” The court also noted that Tang confessed to his crimes and expressed remorse.
The sentence is part of President Xi Jinping’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign, which has targeted both high-ranking officials and lower-level bureaucrats. Supporters argue the campaign strengthens clean governance, while critics suggest it also allows Xi to consolidate power and remove political rivals.
Tang, who previously served as governor of Gansu province and vice chairman of Guangxi Autonomous Region, is the latest high-profile official to fall. His case follows corruption probes into China’s former defense ministers Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe.
Li, appointed in March 2023, was dismissed just seven months later and subsequently expelled from the Communist Party for offences including suspected bribery. His successor, Dong Jun, has also reportedly come under investigation for corruption.
The sentencing underscores the Chinese leadership’s message that corruption at any level will be met with the harshest penalties — including capital punishment.
