Documentary Reveals How Ex-Minister Laundered $38 Million in Bribes
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China’s former agriculture minister Tang Renjian used fake antique sales and intermediaries, known in Chinese business circles as “white gloves,” to launder illicit payments, according to a state-produced anti-graft documentary series released by national broadcaster CCTV on Sunday.
The revelations were made public in the first episode of a documentary series titled “Never Stop, Never Retreat,” produced by the country’s top anti-graft watchdog the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). The program aired months after Tang Renjian was sentenced in September 2025 to death with a two-year reprieve — a suspended death sentence often commuted to life imprisonment — for accepting more than 268 million yuan ($38.42 million) in bribes over an 18-year period.
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- Former agriculture minister Tang Renjian laundered over 268 million yuan ($38.4 million) in bribes through fake antique sales and intermediaries over 18 years.
- Tang orchestrated corruption involving family businesses, lavish social gatherings, and membership schemes, with businesspeople paying exorbitant fees.
- Tang was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve in September 2025 following a CCDI investigation and public televised confessions of regret.
- May 2024：
- Tang Renjian came under investigation by anti-graft authorities.
- September 2025：
- Tang Renjian was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for accepting bribes.
- January 11, 2026：
- State-produced anti-graft documentary series revealing Tang's methods of laundering illicit payments aired on CCTV.
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