China has executed a French man of Laotian descent who had been imprisoned since 2010 on charges of drug trafficking. France claimed it had made every effort to assist him but was unsuccessful.
On 4 Apr 2026 GMT+7, the French Foreign Ministry announced that a French national sentenced to death in China in 2010 on drug trafficking charges has been executed, expressing "shock and sadness" over the event.
The ministry's statement said Chan Thao Phoumy, a 62-year-old Frenchman born in Laos, was executed "despite the French authorities' best efforts, including humanitarian pleas for clemency for our compatriot."
The ministry added that his legal team was not allowed to attend the final court hearing, which it described as a violation of the defendant's rights. The execution took place in Guangzhou, in southern China.
The Foreign Ministry reaffirmed France's opposition to the death penalty "everywhere and in all circumstances" and called for the "global abolition of the death penalty."
China's Foreign Ministry did not comment on the specific details of the case when asked about the execution on Sunday.
"Combating drug-related crime is a shared responsibility of all countries," a statement provided to AFP said. "China treats defendants of all nationalities equally, prosecutes strictly and fairly according to law, and protects legal rights and proper treatment for all parties involved."
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Source:cna