Tang Renjian

Some Lesser Known Facts About Tang Renjian

• After completing his formal education, Tang Renjian joined the Ministry of Agriculture as an officer in the Communist Party of China.

• In 1998, he started working as a supervisor at the Office of the Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs.

• In 2014, Tang Renjian was appointed as the Vice Chairman of Guangxi.

• In 2015, he was promoted to the position of Executive Vice Chairman of Guangxi.

• In 2016, Tang Renjian began working as a deputy director in the Office of the Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs.

• In April 2017, he was appointed as the acting Governor of Gansu.

  

• On 26 December 2020, Tang Renjian became Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. He replaced Han Changfu.

• In January 2021, he released a list of schemes aimed at increasing crop production, such as corn and soybean plantations.

• In February 2021, during COVID-19, Tang Renjian requested to increase food security by producing and storing more grain in China.

• In March 2024, as the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, he announced agricultural modernisation in China.

  

• On 18 May 2024, he was investigated for “serious violations of laws and regulations” by the CCDI and the National Supervisory Commission.

• On 13 September 2024, Tang Renjian was removed from the post of Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. He was replaced by Han Jun.

• On 15 November 2024, he was removed from the Chinese Communist Party.

• On 10 December 2024, Tang Renjian was arrested by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, which announced the news in the media. It stated,
  

  Recently, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate made an arrest decision on Tang Renjian on suspicion of taking bribes in accordance with the law.”

  It explained the losses borne by the people and the state. It said,

  The bribe caused particularly severe losses to the interests of the state and the people, and therefore warranted the death penalty.

• In April 2025, Tang Renjian was formally accused of accepting bribes in exchange for finalising contract deals, making personnel appointments, and conducting business operations.

• On 28 September 2025, he was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for accepting 268 million yuan in bribes.

  

• The court noted that Tang Renjian admitted his crimes and showed regret; therefore, he was granted a two-year reprieve instead of immediate execution.

• Reportedly, such reprieves are often changed to life in prison if the person shows good behaviour.

• The court also ordered that all of Tang Renjian’s personal property be taken away, and his illegal earnings were to be sent to the national treasury.

• Earlier, similar probes were applied to Li Shangfu, Defence Minister, and Wei Fenghe, a former minister.

• Reportedly, his investigation and punishment process was fast as it was implemented under a purge campaign in China’s domestic security system, which was launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2020.

• The goal of the punishment was to make sure that the police, prosecutors, and judges in China stayed fully loyal, pure, and reliable.