China To Execute Chief Food Inspector

Corruption Charges Lead To Condemnation Of Former Food And Drug Administration Head

(AP)  The former head of China's food and drug administration was sentenced to death Tuesday for taking bribes to approve substandard medicines — including an antibiotic blamed for at least 10 deaths.

Seeking to address broadening concerns over food, the government also announced plans for its first recall system for unsafe products.

The developments are among the most dramatic steps Beijing has publicly taken to address domestic and international alarm over shoddy and unsafe Chinese goods — from pet food ingredients and toothpaste mixed with industrial chemicals to tainted antibiotics.

Beijing's No. 1 Intermediate People's Court convicted Zheng Xiaoyu of taking bribes in cash and gifts worth more than 6.49 million yuan ($832,000) while he was director of the State Food and Drug Administration, the official Xinhua News Agency said. Those bribes allowed eight companies to get around drug approval standards, it said.

Zheng's acts "greatly undermined ... the efficiency of China's drug monitoring and supervision, endangered public life and health and had a very negative social impact," Xinhua said, citing the court.

The punishment was appropriate given the "huge amount of bribes involved and the great damage inflicted on the country and the public," Xinhua said.

In one instance, an antibiotic approved by Zheng's agency killed at least 10 patients last year before it was taken off the market.

Under Chinese law, a death sentence meted out by an intermediate court will automatically be reviewed by a higher court and ultimately has to be approved by the state Supreme Court.

The sentence was unusually heavy even for China, which is believed to carry out more court-ordered executions than all other nations combined — and likely indicates the leadership's determination to deal with the recent scares involving unsafe food and drugs.

"The Chinese government attaches great importance to the safety and security of food," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at a regular briefing Tuesday when asked about Zheng's case.

"We stand ready to work with the international community to safeguard the quality and reputation of the Chinese food industry," she said.

In its noon newscast, state television showed a gray-haired Zheng, 62, flanked by court police, who handcuffed him while the verdict was being read.

Internet bulletin board postings on Sina.com, one of China's biggest news portals, reflected the public's approval over Zheng's fate.

Zheng had 23 years of experience manufacturing pharmaceuticals in the eastern city of Hangzhou before being appointed the drug administration's first head in 1998, China Central Television said in its report. He ran it until he was fired in 2005.

Zheng saw his power increase substantially in 2002 when the government required that all drugs be approved by the agency. The change resulted in a massive backlog, a situation that encouraged corruption and the cutting of corners on approvals for often bogus or dangerous drugs.

China's first food recall measures will be implemented by the end of the year, an official from the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, China's main food safety agency, was cited as saying.

"All domestic and foreign food producers and distributors will be obliged to follow the system," Wu Jianping, director general of the administration's food production and supervision department, was quoted as saying by the state-run China Daily newspaper.

The recall system will be put in place gradually and will focus on "potentially dangerous and unapproved food products," the report said.

The report did not provide further details and the inspection agency refused to comment.

Current regulations on product inspection, issued in 2002, mention the need for a food recall system but the issue has never been systematically addressed, the China Daily said.

The paper also said the State Food and Drug Administration, the agency formerly run by the disgraced Zheng, will blacklist food producers who break rules.

Under a nationwide safety campaign launched Monday, 90 administration inspectors will be sent to 15 provinces over the next two weeks, the newspaper said.

Food safety is a serious problem across the vast country, with China's Health Ministry reporting almost 34,000 food-related illnesses in 2005. Spoiled food accounted for the largest number, followed by poisonous plants or animals and use of agricultural chemicals.

According to the official magazine Outlook Weekly, a survey by the quality inspection administration found that a third of China's 450,000 food producers had no licenses, and 60 percent did not conduct safety tests or have the capability to do so.

[reel-crazy]

We would have a daily execution in the USA for the same type of charges IF we wanted to keep our system honest...

[vinepetal904]

that sounds so bizarre, a chinese execution ... the number one greatest asset of china is the size of it's population ... (well, the number one greatest asset of any nation is the size of it's population) ... executions being anti-population, executions are anti-china ... subtraction of an asset is a liability ... subtraction of the asset is the liability ... you know, it wasn't that long ago that there was no epic quest to cure the common death, and the epic quest to cause the impossible death is not too far into the near future: so this seems an impeccably awkward time for an execution ... is this move one of retrospective nostalgia, or optimistic premature anticipation of the future? ... besides, firing those who make mistakes is the equivalent of forgetting how one made the mistake in the first place

[stevenga777]

What if the U.S.A. put Bush & Cheney & Haliburton execs on trial for pocketing billions by starting an unjust war and gave them the same sentence?

[pollroller1]

Wow!! I feel much safer now.

[bluestardad]

WE NEED THIS TYPE OF JUSTICE OVER HERE! GOOD JOB CHINA!

[drummer94]

Come on! Death? China's got some notorious prisons. Death for killers. Not for greedy morons. Hmmm. Food for thought though. (no pun intended) Listening George and company?

[toldyouso21]

Wow: Imagine if we operated in the same way. Bush would have been killed for his failures long before he reached the White house.

[par131]

I sincerely hope this is a wake up call to our government, but I doubt it. Considering the China/Russian allignment and how easy it is to inflitrate our food supply, who need plutonium?

[toldyouso21]

that sounds so bizarre, a chinese execution ... the number one greatest asset of china is the size of it's population ... (well, the number one greatest asset of any nation is the size of it's population) ... executions being anti-population, executions are anti-china ... Posted by vinepetal904 at 07:16 AM : May 29, 2007


You cannot be as "Unbright" as your post. Extrapolate that thought. China is trying to CURB its runaway population and provides incentives for people to NOT have children. Populations are assets that can become liabilities if not controlled. But back to an anaology. Equate China's people to money. The killing of this man is like China burning a dollar when it has a billion dollars. Wasteful? yes. Sort of sick? Yes. Predictable?--for China--yes (remember the killings in Tianemen Square).

This is sad and bizarre--but human life does not have the same value everywhere. This certainly will make heads of company take their jobs very seriously and in an odd way, ties their job performance and the future of their companies together in such a way that may make them for the first time--really worth the money they are paid.

[stevenga777]

What if the U.S.A. put Bush & Cheney & Haliburton execs on trial for pocketing billions by starting an unjust war and gave them the same sentence?

BTW...How can we expect Syria to seal it's border with Iraq when we can't even seal our own border with Mexico? ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

[stevenga777]

What if the U.S.A. put Bush & Cheney & Haliburton execs on trial for pocketing billions by starting an unjust war and gave them the same sentence?

BTW...How can we expect Syria to seal it's border with Iraq when we can't even seal our own border with Mexico? ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

[funkiwiteboy]

Think about what you're gettin ready to do...
Americans would'nt know how to act without a freakin lawyer twisting logic into dollar$ without making sense. We could grow strong again!
God hep US !!!

[nothappyatall]

""We stand ready to work with the international community to safeguard the quality and reputation of the Chinese food industry," she said. "

Yeah, and it ALL depends on one guy doing his job and not taking kickbacks and bribes, NICE!

[jimibear]

This is an excellent example of accountability in government. If we imposed the death penalty in the US for corruption which endangers the public well-being, the halls of Congress would be empty, as would the White House.

If I can think of a way in which that would be a bad thing, I'll post it later ... :-P

Anyway, perhaps the pet owners whose pets died because of Chinese wheat gluten tainted with rat poison will feel a little better when this guy is executed. The scary part of that whole pet food scare was that it could just as easily have been human food.

[jairod]

If it had been the head of the Dept of the Interior, Bush would have defended him until it was quite obvious that the incompentence was soley due to him. Then bush would have appointed him to some plush overseas job until the heat died down. In Bush's America there are no Republican criminals, starting with himself and his buddy, Chaney. I mean: Who can shoot their best friend an get away with it if not a Republican? Come on. You know what I mean.

[superdem]

Bush has done the same thing here, packing the regulatory agencies with flunky Republicans who have made inspections virtually non-existant, companies participate voluntarily, and no one enforces any penalties, in exchange for campaign contributions. Does anyone really think the Texans are inspecting the beef ? HAHAHAHAHA I almost never eat beef any more. The USDA is a joke, like the Environmental Protection Agency. The Bush Administration has destroyed the government on behalf of corporations. This is the democracy we want to force on everyone.

[jimibear]

"... you know, it wasn't that long ago that there was no epic quest to cure the common death, and the epic quest to cause the impossible death is not too far into the near future: so this seems an impeccably awkward time for an execution ... is this move one of retrospective nostalgia, or optimistic premature anticipation of the future? ... "

Vinepetal904, it's time to renew your prescription!!!!! And buy a dictionary. What the *** does "impeccably awkward" even mean?

"besides, firing those who make mistakes is the equivalent of forgetting how one made the mistake in the first place"

Er ... no. Firing those who make mistakes is a way to rid yourself of the mistake-prone and increase efficiency.

Very few things sound more stupid than a dumb person trying to sound smart.

[jairod]

vinepetal904 - retrospective nostalgia vis-a-vis optimistic premature anticipation. Hmmmm. I put forth an existential query: What? I like it, though. Some intellectual jumping jacks. Thanks.

[rf35]

Unfortunately, this guy had nothing to do with the poisoned pet food... it said he was fired in 2005.

[jairod]

jimibear: Obviously out of your league. Thank you for letting us know.

[germanmom]

China! Please don't do that! He deserves a sentence of some kind, but not his life!

[CBSTV]

China and the United States have at least two key traits in common: government corruption and a disregard for human life.

[gunnerv1]

This is the punishment for using too much MSG? What happens if you burn the Fried Rice, They take out your whole family?

[rudy654-2009]

This is wrong, plain and simple. It's a shame we can't boycott China's products.

[gunnerv1]

Actually, The punishment is for taking more than $800,000.00 in bribes. Fry his AZZ!

[sevenveils]

I admire the draconian action. If the US imposed similarly stiff sentences on its leadership for blind stupidity, the country wouldn't be in the mess its in now.

[crater7]

TALK ABOUT JUSTICE?

I LIKE THEIR JUSTICE SYSTEM. MAYBE WE SHOULD HOLD OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS TO THE SAME PUNISHMENT. I'LL BET YOU WOULD SEE A BUNCH OF ELECTED CROOKS RUNNING FOR THE HILLS. ONE WAY TO STOP THE CORRUPTION IN CONGRESS, AND THIS CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.......

[oleander8]

America could learn something from China when it comes to cheating public officials.

[gunnerv1]

inmyopinion:-Which Comment, I make so many, just to stir the Sh*tpot. I see that it worked on you. Don't worry too much, remember the First Admendment works for both sides of the story. If you don't like my comments, you are not being forced to read them. Have you ever been to the PRC? I have. This is about the only form of Govt' the masses understand there. Aren't you glad we don't have a Communist Covt' here.

[erasmus6]

The only reason they are executing this guy is so they can show the world that they are SUPPOSEDLY doing something about it. I get the feeling that they aren't sorry that it happened, they are just sorry they got caught. It is damaging their reputation.
But like rf35 said, this guy was fired in 2005, so killing him isn't going to solve the problem now is it? Obviously there has been someone else doing that job since then and this would be the person that is responsible for the tainted pet food, our chemical and bacteria contaminated food and the poisoned toothpaste. AND I bet there is more that we haven't even discovered yet.
Also killing the person responsible is only a minor solution. First they need to be taught what the "potentially dangerous and unapproved food products" are. That could be a major undertaking right there, because if they haven't figured that out by now, I don't think they are capable of learning it.
You will have to excuse me but I don't hold out much hope of this happening.
And to the person that said something about the wheat gluten not getting into our food: What do you call it when it was fed to the hogs and used to feed the farmed fish?

[randalds]

America could learn something from China when it comes to cheating public officials.
Posted by oleander8 at 11:58 AM : May 29, 2007

Amen. Let's bring those judges over here so they can try such winners as Gonzalez, Rove and even Cheney and Bush. I'd have no problem supporting the eventual punishment! Hell I'd even support shipping our criminals like these 4 (and others in this corrupt administration) over to China for the trials too!

[besscannon-2009]

The man has been responsible for the death of quite a few people and we execute for one wrongful death, so, what is wrong with them sentencing him to death? I cant understand any opposition to the sentence. To the ones that oppose it, I don't think they would if one of their own loved ones died because of what he did.

[melcarnahan]

It is the responsibility of government to protect food hygiene and if our DOJ did a better job of protecting our children instead of watching Girls Gone Wild all day at taxpayers expense in taxpayer-funded offices and chapels, countless food poisoning deaths would be prevented. Don't order the hot dog in any country that has the death penalty. web.amnesty dot org/pages/usa-170107-feature-eng

[ajaxrose1]

Sucks to be him, but he should have thought about where he lived when he took the lives of others so frivolously. He's lived there all his life, right? He didn't know what could happen IF he got caught?

[Sonny1961]

Allow your imagination to run wild just for a moment...if we had punishments for elected officials here like they have in China, we'd have to have new elections every 6 months or so. Bush, Cheney, Rove, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, and all members of the Bush administration (better known as Bozo's Circus) would have bit the dust within days of being inaugurated. Can someone do a quick "cut and paste" and put that statute in our Constitution?

[Sonny1961]

Allow your imagination to run wild just for a moment...if we had punishments for elected officials here like they have in China, we'd have to have new elections every 6 months or so. Bush, Cheney, Rove, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, and all members of the Bush administration (better known as Bozo's Circus) would have bit the dust within days of being inaugurated. Can someone do a quick "cut and paste" and put that statute in our Constitution?

[toddpw01]

How quickly we forget that Texas Governor Bush offed more death-row inmates than any other Governor.

But now that his good ol' boys are in power, everyone gets a slap with a wet noodle and the real screwups get a Medal of Honor.

Notice how the Chinese are buying up more and more of our assets with all that WALMART money we give them. Does the GOP even care that eventually they would command enough lobbyist money to conquer us from within??