The executive, a Chinese national, confessed to paying bribes and said his actions had pushed up drug prices.
It comes a day after Chinese officials accused the British pharmaceutical giant of paying 3bn yuan ($489m; £323m) in bribes since 2007.
GSK has called the allegations shameful and promised full cooperation.
It said in a statement last week that its own internal inquiries had found no evidence of bribery or corruption in China, but it took the allegations seriously and was willing to co-operate with the authorities. Closely watched
The senior executive appeared dishevelled during his appearance on the main evening bulletin, the BBC's Martin Patience reports from Beijing.
He was one of four Chinese executives from GSK arrested over the allegations. The firm's British general manager in China, Mark Reilly, is reported to have left for London last month and has not returned. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23332521
[WS:] Whatever one may say about China, the way they treat white collar criminals is enviable. -- Wojtek
"An anarchist is a neoliberal without money."