The Culture of Corruption in China

Zheng Xiaoyu, 62, the former head of the State Food & Drug Administration, who accepted over $850,000 in bribes from eight drug companies was recently executed- I wonder it would make any difference for the ordinary Chinese like the little boy in the photo-he received an intravenous injection of the antibiotic Xinfu which led to a coma and been diagnosed with cerebellar atrophy

During Mr. Zheng’s tenure, for instance, his agency approved over 150,000 applications for new drugs, an approval rate that dwarfs the F.D.A., which approves only about 140 new drugs each year.

Below is his confession, hoping that the authorities will show some leniency;

The Communist Party has criticized and educated me and told me about the policies. I started to reflect on myself seriously and painstakingly. Thinking back on what has happened these year, I start to see the problems clearly. For example, why are the friends who gave me money all bosses of pharmaceutical companies? Obviously, because I was in charge of drug administration. Another example, I’ve known these old friends for a long time, why did they give me money only after 1998? Obviously, because the State Drug Administration was established in 1998 and then I was given bigger power. Although these friends gave me money partly because of our friendship, they actually were thinking about my power. I am confessing here that I loosened self-discipline, ignored the bottom line. It is bribery if a civil servant receives money from a business.

Some money wasn’t given to me directly, but through [my wife Liu] Naixue and [my son] Hairong. Naxiue was retired and stayed at home. Hairong was just a student. So their target was still me. Indirect ways were easier for me to accept. So I agreed, consented. This was bribery.

Once I accepted the money, the justice of power certainly became problematic, the image of the civil servant was undermined, and the image of the Party and government was affected.

The Party and people nurtured me, trusted me and assigned me to such an important position. I didn’t live up to the Party’s expectation. I loosened ideological reform, loosened self-discipline, harmed the Party and the people, committed crimes, for which I feel regretful. Now I have to treat the issue seriously, conduct a thorough self-examination, confess my mistakes, and treat the punishment and education as an act of saving my soul.

Inspired by the policy that honest confession should be rewarded lenient punishment, I have overcome all sorts of wrong excuses and honestly confessed to the Party the fact that I accepted bribes from [pharmaceutical executives] Ge Mengya, Wang Maoxing, Du Lihua, Zhao Buchang, Xu Rongxiang and Fan Minhua; that I knew that Zheng Jun, Yu Wenyong, Wang Xianyu had given bribes [to my wife and son]. I am willing to promise to the Party again that I will help retrieve every penny. If what has been retrieved doesn’t match the amount [I accepted in bribes], I’ll sell my own assets and borrow money from family and friends to make it up. I will also cooperate with the [Supreme People’s] Procuratorate Court to clarify the problem, and strive for lenient punishment. I hope the Party will give me the opportunity and a way out.