Tang Renjian leaves his vice-chairmanship of Guangxi to take on a key role in the Communist Party’s top policymaking body for agriculture
Beijing has appointed a new chief to oversee drafting of rural and agricultural policies, the latest in a series of personnel changes among the decision-making elite.
Tang Renjian, 54, formerly a vice-chairman of Guangxi, was appointed deputy general office director at the Communist Party’s Central Rural Work Leading Group, the top policy body for agriculture.
Tang was also named deputy director at the General Office of the Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs, which is headed by President Xi Jinping’s right-hand man Liu He, according to a statement on the government website of Hanting district in Weifang, Shandong province.
The mainland does not officially publish changes in internal party bodies even if they are central to decision-making. Information about changes in personnel is often gathered via references in various reports and statements. Tang’s new titles were reported because he inspected Hanting on Thursday in his new capacity.
As a deputy director at the economic leading group’s general office, Tang becomes part of Xi’s inner decision-making circle.
The office, with six deputies, generally operates behind closed doors but is increasingly stepping into the limelight. For example, Liu headed up an inspection trip to Sichuan to assess economic development on the ground last week, after chairing a symposium in Shanghai with economic planners from coastal provinces, according to state media reports.
Tang replaces Chen Xiwen, 66, a highly respected specialist in rural development, who has become a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
Tang takes up the new role as the country’s urbanisation push is rapidly transforming farmland into industrial and residential areas. Amid the shift Chen has called for better protection of farmers’ interests. When some local governments used the urbanisation policy as an excuse to force farmers out of their villages and into high rises, Chen was one of the loudest voices condemning the campaign, known as “forcing farmers to live upstairs”.
Tang’s political career has been spent in agriculture policy, and he worked with Chen for many years before he was relocated to Guangxi in 2014.
From 2012 to 2014, Tang was by Chen’s side at State Council media briefings on annual agriculture development policy, taking questions from domestic and foreign reporters.
In 2014, Tang said growth in the country’s agricultural output had come with a high environmental price, including reduction of farmland, water shortages and excessive use of fertilisers.
