Chinese Drug Regulation Official Gets Suspended Death Sentence
A former department head of China’s drug regulation agency was sentenced to death for bribery. The same day, United States regulators ordered a recall of three more Chinese-made products.
The safety of Chinese products sold in the United States has recently been in question.
Canada’s Globe and Mail reports that Cao Wenzhuang, a department director in the State Food and Drug Administration, was given a death sentence for accepting bribes and neglecting his official duties. His death sentence was suspended for two years. The Globe and Mail says such penalties are usually commuted to life in prison if the convict is deemed to have reformed.
Cao was head of the pharmaceutical registration department, having power to approve pharmaceutical production. He was charged with accepting $307,000 (U.S.) from two medical companies that seeking approval to sell their products.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recently announced three recalls, covering jewelry that could cause lead poisoning and a magnetic building set and plastic castles with small parts, which it said could choke children. Other toys, such as Thomas the Tank Engine, were recalled due to paint containing lead. All these products were made in China.