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China Executes Ex-Food and Drug Czar

Regulator convicted of taking bribes to compromise food safety

By Greg Atwan,  Newser User

Posted Jul 10, 2007 11:44 AM CDT
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(Newser) – China carried out a swift death sentence against the former head of its food and drug administration today, in an apparent reaction to concerns about the safety of its exports. Zheng Xiaoyu was killed just over 2 weeks after the supreme court rejected his appeal on a May conviction for accepting bribes while head of the watchdog government arm.

China accounts for more than half of the world's executions, but justice against Zheng was severe and expeditious even for the autocratic superpower. The Times reports that the move was meant as a display both of China's sincerity in combating the tainted food scandal that has rocked trade markets recently and, paradoxically, of its increasingly meticulous review of executions.

Zheng Xiaoyu, the former director of China's State Food and Drug Administration, is seen in a meeting of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing in this March 4, 2003 photo. Zheng was executed Tuesday July 10, 2007, for approving untested medicine in exchange for cash, leading to...
Zheng Xiaoyu, the former director of China's State Food and Drug Administration, is seen in a meeting of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing in this March 4, 2003...   (Associated Press)
Chinese State Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman Yan Jiangyang speaks at a press conference in Beijing Tuesday July 10, 2007. Yan said that corrupt officials in the SFDA are the shame of the whole system and their scandals have revealed some very serious problems. The press conference came on the...
Chinese State Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman Yan Jiangyang speaks at a press conference in Beijing Tuesday July 10, 2007. Yan said that corrupt officials in the SFDA are the "shame of the whole...   (Associated Press)
Zheng Xiaoyu, the former director of China's State Food and Drug Administration, is seen in a meeting of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing in this March 4, 2003 photo. Zheng was executed Tuesday, July 10, 2007, for approving untested medicine in exchange for cash, leading to...
Zheng Xiaoyu, the former director of China's State Food and Drug Administration, is seen in a meeting of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing in this March 4, 2003...   (Associated Press)
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Coverage from the Chinese state-run press
Xinhua (China)

China's push to improve food safety
Wall Street Journal

China's push to improve public relations
Wall Street Journal

On China's death penalty and Supreme Court oversight
International Herald Tribune

Another regulator sentenced to death
Washington Post

 
China • Zheng Xiaoyu • capital punishment • China food exports • death sentence

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