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Another Ag Minister Bites the Dust

China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) announced today that Zhang Zhu is the new Communist Party secretary of MARA. Zhang replaces Han Jun who had been Party Secretary and Ministry of MARA for less than 2 years. The announcement consisted of a single sentence.

In 2024, Han Jun had replaced Tang Renjian who served 2020-24 before being ousted and given a delayed death sentence last year for bribery. 

The reason for Han Jun's departure has not been revealed, but an x.com post suggests Han's wife has business connections with the wife of Ma Xingrui, a top leader in China's Communist Party who was put under investigation earlier this month. 

The MARA web site had gone eerily quiet during March when a series of posts described meetings where agricultural officials were ordered to study Xi Jinping's thoughts and received warnings about corruption and graft and prioritizing political achievements. Han Jun had last been featured on the MARA web site 10 days ago investigating wheat fields and a pork packing plant.

New MARA Secretary Zhang Zhu has a solid political pedigree, having joined the party as a 20-year-old student and served in a series of party roles -- most recently as Deputy Secretary of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Secretary of the Urumqi Municipal Party Committee. Zhang does have some agriculture background, having been trained as a plant protection specialist and served as a party official in agricultural organizations in Ningxia Province during the 1990s. 

During 2009-2020 Han Changfu (not related to Han Jun) had an extraordinarily long tenure as Minister and Party Secretary of MARA. Han Changfu appears to have escaped the corruption net. During 2006-2009, Sun Zhengcai -- a rising star in the Party-- served as Minister of Agriculture, rose to head of Chongqing Municipality, and was seen as a potential national leader before he was taken down and jailed for life on corruption charges in 2018.


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