France Condemns Chinas Execution of French National Over Drug Conviction

China is believed to execute more individuals annually than any other country. A paramilitary guard stands at a security door inside the No.1 Detention Center during a government guided tour in Beijing on Oct. 25, 2012. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images4/5/2026|Updated: 4/5/2026The French government has voiced its consternation over Beijing’s execution of a French national who had been held in a Chinese prison for more than 20 years following his conviction of drug-related crimes.Chinese authorities had executed Chan Thao Phoumy, a 62-year-old French national who was sentenced to death in 2010 for drug trafficking, the French Foreign Ministry said in an April 4 statement on its website.