• Former agriculture minister Tang Renjian sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for bribery.
• Tang accepted over 268 million yuan ($37.6 million) in bribes from 2007 to 2024.
• The court ordered the confiscation of all his personal property and illegal gains.

China's former minister of agriculture and rural affairs, Tang Renjian, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for bribery by a court in Jilin province. This punishment was confirmed by the state news agency Xinhua, which reported that Tang had accepted bribes totaling over 268 million yuan (approximately US$37.6 million) during his tenure from 2007 to 2024, while serving in various positions within the government, according to Channel News Asia and Dawn.

The Changchun Intermediate People's Court indicated that Tang's death sentence was suspended for two years due to his confession and cooperation during the investigation. He was expelled from the Communist Party in November 2024, following an investigation led by the anti-graft watchdog, which had intensified under President Xi Jinping's broader campaign against corruption, reports India Times.

Tang's actions included exploiting his various governmental roles to aid in business operations, project contracting, and personnel adjustments. The court's ruling noted all of Tang's property would be confiscated, and his illicit gains redirected to the national treasury as part of the punitive measures against corruption in China, according to Channel News Asia, Dawn, and India Times.