The CCP CC decided on December 1, to appoint 58-year old Tang Renjian, Vice Minister of Agriculture, as Secretary of the Communist Party Committee in the Ministry. The position was till now held by Agriculture Minister Han Changfu. A native of Chongqing and since 2017, Governor of Gansu Province, Tang Renjian graduated from the Southwest University of Finance and Economics in 1983 and rose through the ranks of the Sichuan government. He reportedly studied for a doctorate in economics while he was employed and held the title of "senior economist." He is an adjunct professor at Southwest University of Finance and Economics and at China Agricultural University. In 1998 he was posted to the Office of the Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs as supervisor. Tang Renjian has reportedly been a key assistant to two powerful men in Xi Jinping's orbit: Liu He and Wang Yang. Tang Renjian has been involved in a number of rural policy and poverty alleviation working groups, including the drafting of the 2004 "Document No. 1" that launched China's first program of rural subsidies and cancellation of agricultural taxes. His work has included "Respond to the Challenge of Entering WTO with the Strategy of Unbalanced Competition," "Developing 'Company Agriculture' and Agricultural Companies," "Nurturing Rural Informal Financial Organizations," and "Establishing Agriculture's Tax-Free Era."

(Comment: Tang Renjian's appointment indicates he may be appointed Minister of Agriculture replacing 66-year old Han Changfu.)