Chen began his career in the Ministry of Water Resources in 1998, what he was appointed director-general of the General Office in April 2008 and then director of the Yellow River Conservancy Commission in March 2011.
In August 2015, he became head of the Publicity Department of Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), but having held the position for only seven months.
[2] In May 2017, he was recalled to Beijing and appointed deputy director of the Ministry of Supervision, the then highest anti-corruption agency of China.
On 11 March 2018, he concurrently served as deputy director of the newly founded National Supervisory Commission.
[4][5][6] Chen is the second Han Chinese minister since the ministry was established in 1949, after Li Weihan.