China food safety head executed
This is such bizarre news I just had to post it. The former head of China’s State Food and Drug Administration, Zheng Xiaoyu, has been executed for corruption.
In light of all the food scares around Chinese exports these days I am not surprised by the hardline. Afterall, China is a Communist state and needs to make an example of its ministers or risk derailing the economic juggernaut image and reputation. What surprises me, rather, is the context: can you imagine waking up one day and hearing “Last night Brian Mulroney was executed for taking kickbacks on the Airbus.” That stuff just doesn’t happen here.
PS - We are far behind Japan when it comes to criticism of Chinese food exports. Now if only some Western countries — ahemamerica!coughcough — looked in the chemical mirror…