Key facts
- Bi Jingquan, former head of China's drug regulator, was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
- Bi accepted over 57.42 million yuan ($8.6 million) in money and assets.
- Bribes were accepted to assist entities and individuals with business operations, administrative approvals, and project settlement.
- Bi was appointed chief of the CFDA in early 2015 and resigned in 2018 amid a vaccine scandal.
A Chinese court sentenced Bi Jingquan, a former head of the country’s drug regulator and a senior market-regulation official, to 14 years in prison for taking bribes totaling more than 57.42 million yuan ($8.6 million). The Intermediate People’s Court of Jinan, in the eastern province of Shandong, also fined Bi 5 million yuan and ordered the confiscation of illegal gains and related proceeds, state broadcaster CCTV reported. Bi Jingquan, former head of the now-defunct China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA), accepted the money and assets between 1995 and 2025 in various senior roles, including his tenure as CFDA head and as a senior official in the State Council. The court found that Bi accepted the bribes to assist entities and individuals with matters such as business operations, administrative approvals, and project settlement. Bi was appointed chief of the CFDA in early 2015 and resigned in 2018 following a major vaccine scandal. He admitted guilt and expressed remorse in court.