China’s Ex-Agriculture Minister, Tang Renjian received a suspended death sentence for taking $38m in bribes amid Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign.
China has sentenced former agriculture minister Tang Renjian to death with a two-year reprieve after convicting him of accepting massive bribes, a court in the country’s northeast announced on Sunday.
The People’s Court of Changchun in Jilin province said Tang received cash and property worth more than 268 million yuan (about $38 million) between 2007 and 2024. Judges ruled that the scale of corruption had caused “particularly severe losses to the interests of the state and the people” and therefore merited the death penalty.
Under China’s legal system, death sentences with reprieve are typically commuted to life imprisonment if the convicted individual demonstrates good behavior during the suspension period. The court noted Tang had confessed, expressed remorse, and cooperated with investigators.
Tang’s conviction marks one of the most high-profile cases in President Xi Jinping’s decade-long anti-corruption drive, which has targeted officials across the military, government ministries, and state-owned enterprises. Supporters of the campaign say it strengthens governance and public trust, while critics argue it also enables the removal of political rivals.
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The 61-year-old Tang previously served as governor of Gansu province in the northwest and as vice chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in the south. He was appointed agriculture minister in 2020, a position he held until his downfall in 2024 when he came under investigation.
Tang’s case follows a string of graft scandals involving senior Chinese officials. Two former defense ministers, Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe, have also been investigated in recent years. Li was removed from office just seven months into the role and later expelled from the Communist Party for alleged corruption. State media reported that his successor, Admiral Dong Jun, is also facing scrutiny over suspected bribery.
The scale of these purges underscores the extent of Xi’s anti-graft campaign, which has ensnared hundreds of thousands of officials since it was launched in 2012. While death sentences for corruption are not unprecedented in China, they remain relatively rare and are often handed down in cases involving exceptionally large sums or abuse of high office.
Observers say the verdict against Tang sends a signal that Beijing is prepared to pursue senior figures at the highest levels of government, even as it seeks to project an image of political stability.
