US says Fiji-based Chinese official paid bribes for Beijing

The United States has accused a Fijian man employed by a Chinese state agency of allegedly bribing Fijian citizens to advance China's interests in the Pacific nation. Zhao Fugang, Director of the Overseas Chinese Service Centre in Fiji's capital Suva, is said to have engaged in "significant corruption" by paying bribes, according to Washington.

The State Department's Tommy Pigott stated that Zhao abused his public position to benefit China-based government, business, and criminal interests, which adversely affected US interests in Fiji. Zhao and his family members will be barred from entering the United States as a result. The US embassy in Suva expressed concern that Zhao's actions left Fiji vulnerable to "malign foreign influence" by Chinese actors.

Zhao, a Fijian national, has categorically denied the allegations, stating they are "unsubstantiated" and that he has not been questioned by any Fijian authority. He has requested the full details of the allegations and expressed willingness to cooperate with any lawful inquiry by Fijian authorities. The investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) in 2024 alleged that Zhao operated as a key pointman for Beijing's interests in Fiji and was suspected by Australian law enforcement of involvement in transnational criminal activities.