A few days ago, I wrote that Cao Wenzhuang, a Chinese drug and food safety department head had been sentenced to death, suspended for two years.  His sentence could have been commuted if he had shown he had reformed.  Reuters reports that, today, the Chinese government executed him. Zheng Xiaoyu (as spelled by the Xinhua new agency) was executed for taking bribes and dereliction of duty, according to the Xinhua. 

Zheng was head of the pharmaceutical registration department, having power to approve pharmaceutical production.  The Reuters report says he accepted bribes from eight companies totaling 6.5 million yuan ($850,000).

The Supreme People’s Court said the sentence was imposed due to “Zheng Xiaoyu’s grave irresponsibility in pharmaceutical safety inspection and failure to conscientiously carry out his duties seriously damaged the interests of the state and people.”

Reuters speculated that the unusually harsh sentence and its prompt enforcement reflect pressure on Beijing from domestic and international alarm about consumer product safety. Several products have recently faced recall in the United States over safety concerns.