US sanctions Fijian businessman over alleged corruption tied with China

The US has imposed sanctions on Chinese Fijian businessman Zhao Fugang, accusing him of corruption linked to the Chinese government. Zhao, who serves as the director of the Overseas Chinese Service Center in Fiji, has been designated due to his involvement in significant corruption benefiting China-based entities. The US State Department stated that Zhao and his family will be barred from entering the United States as a result of the sanctions.

Zhao has previously denied these accusations, calling them false and misleading, with his lawyers stating they were unaware of the investigation. Fijian Foreign Affairs Minister Sakiasi Ditoka confirmed he had not been officially notified of the designation before speaking to the media. This is not Zhao's first time facing such allegations; in 2024, he was accused of being a senior member of a Chinese crime syndicate and a member of the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department.

The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project also alleged Zhao's involvement in drug smuggling, money laundering, and human trafficking. Despite these claims, Zhao has never faced charges in any jurisdiction. In 2024, Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka stated that he was unsure if Zhao worked for the Chinese government, emphasizing Zhao's rights as a Fijian citizen.

The US Embassy in Suva highlighted that Zhao's actions pose a threat to Fiji's vulnerability to foreign influence, organized crime, and illegal migration, thus impacting U.S. national security, economic, and foreign policy interests. The Chinese Embassy in Suva refuted these claims, describing Zhao as a Fijian citizen and the work of Chinese diaspora groups in Fiji as transparent and above board.