US bars Fiji-based man over corruption tied to China

What the report says

The US Department of State has designated a Fiji-based man, Zhao Fugang, over what it described as corruption carried out on behalf of Chinese interests. According to Al Jazeera’s report, the department said Zhao, who heads the Overseas Chinese Service Center, used his position to pay bribes to Fijian citizens in ways that advanced China-based government, business and criminal interests. The State Department said those actions harmed US interests in Fiji.

The designation means Zhao and his immediate family are generally barred from entering the United States. The US embassy in Suva, Fiji’s capital, said the case reflected a broader risk of “malign foreign influence” in the Pacific linked to Chinese government, business and criminal actors. Al Jazeera noted that the embassy also pointed to what it described as a wider pattern of criminal activity in the region with ties to China.

The report adds context around Overseas Chinese Service Centers, which Beijing says provide practical help to Chinese nationals abroad, such as administrative services. Rights groups, however, have alleged that such bodies can be used to promote Beijing’s interests overseas and pressure critics. Al Jazeera also recalled earlier US sanctions in February against political figures in Palau and the Marshall Islands over alleged China-linked corruption, underscoring Washington’s continued focus on China’s influence in Pacific Island states.