Former food and drug administration chief Bi Jingquan sentenced to 14 years for bribery

Bi Jingquan, a former standing committee member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Tuesday for accepting about 57.42 million yuan ($8.56 million) in bribes.

The Jinan Intermediate People's Court in Shandong province also fined Bi 5 million yuan and ordered that his illicit gains and related proceeds that had already been recovered be turned over to the State treasury.

The court found that between 1995 and 2025, Bi used his senior positions and influence to help organizations and individuals with business operations, government approvals and project payments. In return, he illegally accepted money and valuables worth more than 57.42 million yuan, the court said.

The court said Bi's actions constituted the crime of accepting bribes and that the amount involved was exceptionally large. However, it imposed a lighter sentence after taking into account several factors in his favor.

After being detained, Bi confessed to his crimes and voluntarily disclosed most of the bribery offenses that investigators had not previously uncovered, the court said. Some of the offenses were attempts that were not completed.

Bi also pleaded guilty, expressed remorse and actively returned his illicit gains. All money, property and related proceeds involved in the case had been recovered.

The Jinan court publicly heard the case on June 24. Prosecutors presented evidence during the trial, while Bi and his defense counsel questioned the evidence and presented their arguments. Bi made a final statement in which he pleaded guilty and expressed remorse.

Bi, 70, a native of Heilongjiang province, began working in 1982 and joined the Communist Party of China in 1978.

He served as deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission from 2006 to March 2008 before becoming deputy secretary-general of the State Council.

In 2015, he was appointed head of the former China Food and Drug Administration. In March 2018, he became Party chief and deputy head of the State Administration for Market Regulation.

In August 2018, following an investigation into the vaccine scandal involving Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology Co in Jilin province, a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee agreed that Bi should resign.

Bi was later appointed deputy head of the Economic Committee of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in 2020 and became a standing committee member of the 14th CPPCC National Committee in March 2023. He also served as executive vice-chairman and later chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges.

Bi was placed under investigation in May 2025 for suspected serious violations of Party discipline and national laws. In December 2025, he was expelled from the CPC and dismissed from public office. His suspected criminal case and related assets were then transferred to procuratorial authorities for review and prosecution. He was formally prosecuted in April 2026.