China on Tuesday executed its former chief food and drug regulator for taking bribes to approve medicines, in an apparently draconian warning to other officials after a series of scandals about the quality of Chinese products.

The execution of Zheng Xiaoyu, 62, was confirmed by state media after the Supreme People’s Court approved the death sentence on charges that he took Rmb6.5m ($855,094) in bribes from eight pharmaceuticals companies. Mr Zheng is the most senior central government official to be executed since 2000 and the harsh penalty and swift enforcement, after an initial trial in May, underlines mounting government concern about the scandals that have damaged the reputation of Chinese products.