The United States has accused a Chinese state agency official in Fiji of paying bribes to advance Chinese government, business and criminal interests, escalating concerns over Beijing’s growing influence in the Pacific.
Washington on Thursday named Zhao Fugang, director of the Overseas Chinese Service Centre in Fiji’s capital, Suva, and said he had abused his position by making payments to Fijian citizens. The US State Department described the alleged conduct as “significant corruption” and said Zhao and his immediate family members would be barred from entering the United States.
The allegations put a prominent Chinese linked figure in Fiji at the centre of a wider dispute over Beijing’s expanding presence among Pacific Island nations. They also come after previous investigations raised questions about Zhao’s alleged connections to Chinese interests and organised crime.
Zhao has strongly denied the accusations.
US Says Zhao Used His Position to Pay Bribes
US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said Zhao used his public position to make payments intended to benefit interests linked to China.
“Zhao abused his public position by paying bribes to Fijian citizens to advance China based government, business, and criminal interests,” Pigott said.
The State Department said Zhao’s alleged conduct had harmed US interests in Fiji.
The US embassy in Suva went further, saying the alleged corruption had left Fiji more exposed to foreign influence involving Chinese government, business and criminal actors.
The embassy said corruption can affect a country far beyond individual cases by discouraging legitimate investment, weakening institutions and creating opportunities for organised crime.
“Corruption stunts opportunities for foreign investment and foreign assistance, facilitates organized crime, offers a permissive environment for malign actors, drives illegal migration, and undermines citizens’ faith in government,” the embassy said.
Washington did not publicly release detailed evidence supporting the allegations. It also did not identify the Fijian citizens Zhao allegedly bribed or disclose how much money was involved.
Zhao Strongly Rejects US Allegations
Zhao has rejected the allegations and said he has not been charged with any offence in Fiji.
In a statement sent to AFP through his lawyers, the Fijian businessman said he “categorically” denied the accusations and described them as unsubstantiated.
“I have not been questioned by any Fijian authority about these matters, and no charge has been laid against me,” Zhao said.
He said he had contacted the US embassy in Suva and requested full details of the allegations made against him.
Zhao also said he would cooperate with any lawful investigation conducted by Fijian authorities.
“I respect the laws of Fiji and will cooperate fully with any lawful inquiry by the Fijian authorities,” he said.
His lawyer, Nikheel Nambiar, also rejected previous allegations that Zhao had worked to advance Beijing’s political interests in Fiji.
Nambiar told AFP that claims of influence peddling for Beijing were “false and misleading.”
China’s embassy in Suva did not respond to multiple requests from AFP for comment.
Earlier Investigation Raised Questions About Zhao
The US action follows an investigation published by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project in 2024.
The investigation identified Zhao as an important figure in efforts to advance Beijing’s interests in Fiji and reported that he was a naturalised citizen of the Pacific nation.
The report also said Australian law enforcement suspected Zhao of being a senior figure in a transnational criminal network allegedly connected to human trafficking, money laundering and drug smuggling.
Zhao has denied those allegations.
His lawyer previously rejected the claims and said accusations connecting Zhao to criminal activity were unfounded.
The earlier investigation and the latest US action are separate matters. Washington did not publicly explain whether its decision to sanction Zhao was connected to the OCCRP reporting or based on separate US investigations and intelligence.
What Is China’s Overseas Chinese Service Centre?
Zhao is the director of the Overseas Chinese Service Centre in Suva, an organisation connected to China’s network of overseas Chinese service centres.
Beijing says these centres help Chinese citizens living abroad with administrative and practical matters. Services can include assistance with documents and issues such as renewing driving licences.
Rights groups have raised concerns about the wider role of some overseas Chinese organisations.
They have alleged that certain centres can serve as unofficial channels for advancing Beijing’s interests abroad and may be involved in monitoring or putting pressure on Chinese dissidents living outside China.
China rejects such criticism and presents the centres as organisations intended to support Chinese citizens overseas.
The competing descriptions have become part of a wider debate over China’s growing international presence and the way Beijing maintains connections with Chinese communities abroad.
Why Fiji Has Become Important to Beijing
Fiji sits at the centre of a broader competition for influence in the Pacific.
China has expanded its economic and political engagement with Pacific Island countries in recent years, while the United States and Australia have increased their own diplomatic and security efforts across the region.
Fiji has longstanding relationships with Australia, New Zealand and Western countries, but it has also developed closer economic and political links with China.
The competition extends beyond traditional diplomacy.
Infrastructure projects, trade, development assistance, policing, telecommunications and security cooperation have all become areas where Beijing and Western governments are seeking stronger relationships with Pacific nations.
That makes allegations involving bribery and foreign influence particularly sensitive.
For Washington, corruption linked to foreign actors can raise concerns about the ability of governments to protect institutions and make independent decisions.
For Fiji, maintaining relationships with major powers while protecting domestic sovereignty presents its own challenge.
China’s Growing Pacific Influence Raises Concern
China’s expanding presence in the Pacific became a major international issue in 2022 after Beijing signed a security agreement with Solomon Islands.
The agreement raised concerns in Australia, the United States and other Western governments about whether China could eventually establish a permanent military presence in the Pacific.
Beijing has maintained that its cooperation with Pacific Island countries is based on mutual benefit and respect for their sovereignty.
Pacific governments, meanwhile, have sought to balance relationships with China, Australia, New Zealand and the United States while pursuing investment and development opportunities.
The Solomon Islands agreement nevertheless changed the strategic debate across the region.
It showed that China was prepared to build deeper security relationships with Pacific governments, rather than limiting its involvement to trade, infrastructure and development projects.
US China Rivalry Reaches Fiji
The allegations against Zhao now add a corruption and foreign influence dispute to that broader competition.
Washington has not accused the Chinese government itself of committing the alleged bribery offences. Instead, the State Department has targeted Zhao personally and barred him and his immediate family members from entering the United States.
The action sends a clear message about how seriously Washington views alleged foreign influence operations involving corruption.
Zhao, however, says he has not been charged in Fiji and has asked the US government to provide details of the allegations.
That leaves the next stage of the case largely dependent on what evidence Washington provides and whether Fijian authorities decide to investigate.
What Happens Next in Fiji?
The dispute could place pressure on Fiji to clarify whether its authorities will examine the allegations independently.
A Fijian investigation could determine whether any local laws were broken and whether the claims made by Washington warrant further action. Without such a process, the accusations are likely to remain part of the wider diplomatic dispute between Washington and Beijing.
For Zhao, the immediate issue is defending himself against allegations that could affect his business activities, reputation and ability to travel.
For the United States, the case fits into a broader effort to challenge what it sees as harmful Chinese influence in the Pacific.
For China, the accusations come at a time when Beijing is seeking deeper relationships with Pacific Island governments.
The case now puts Fiji at the centre of an increasingly contested question: how much influence should outside powers have over the political and economic affairs of Pacific nations?
Should Fiji launch an independent investigation into the US allegations against Zhao Fugang, or should the dispute remain a matter between Washington and Beijing?