China sentences former agricultural minister to death

China’s former minister for agriculture has been sentenced to death on corruption charges, with a two-year reprieve, a court statement said.

Tang Renjian accepted cash and property bribes totalling more than 268 million yuan (€32.4 million) between 2007 and 2024, the People’s Court of Changchun in northeast Jilin province said in a statement.

The court ruled that the bribes “caused particularly severe losses to the interests of the state and the people, and therefore warranted the death penalty”, adding that Tang had confessed to his crimes and expressed remorse.

Mr Renjian sentencing is the latest in President Xi Jinping’s sweeping anti-graft campaign that has brought down several high-level figures.

Supporters of Xi’s anti-corruption drive say the campaign promotes clean governance, but critics argue it provides the president with the power to purge political rivals.

Mr Renjian previously served as governor of the northwestern province of Gansu, as well as the vice chairman of southern autonomous region Guangxi.

His downfall follows similar graft investigations into former defence ministers Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe.

Mr Shangfu was removed from office just seven months into the job, and later expelled from the Chinese Communist Party for offences including suspected bribery, state media said.

His successor Dong Jun was also reportedly placed under investigation on corruption charges.