Skip to content
Bramble

World

US designates Fijian businessman Zhao Fugang over alleged China-linked corruption

The US State Department has publicly designated Zhao Fugang, director of the Overseas Chinese Service Center in Fiji, for alleged bribery on behalf of China-based actors, making him and his immediate family generally ineligible to enter the US. Zhao has previously denied wrongdoing.

2 outlets · 2L · 0C · 0R First reported Account updated
Image: ABC News (Australia)
Image: Al Jazeera

1 / 2

The story, neutrally told

Left · 2The US State Department has publicly designated Zhao Fugang, a Chinese Fijian businessman and director of the Overseas Chinese Service Center in Fiji, for involvement in what it called "significant corruption" on behalf of China-based actors. Left · 2The State Department said Zhao "abused his public position by paying bribes to Fijian citizens to advance China-based government, business, and criminal interests". Left · 2The designation makes Zhao and his immediate family members generally ineligible for entry into the United States.

Left · 2The US Embassy in Suva said Zhao's actions left Fiji open to "malign foreign influence facilitated by Chinese government, business, and criminal actors" and pointed to "an established trend of criminals operating across the Pacific with ties to China". Left · 1Zhao did not respond directly to the claims, but his lawyers told the ABC they were unaware of the investigation and would write to the US government seeking clarity; they previously said he vehemently denied any allegations, calling them false and misleading. Left · 1Fijian Foreign Affairs Minister Sakiasi Ditoka said he had not been officially informed of the designation before the ABC contacted him, and that a formal notice to the government via his ministry would be the normal process.

Left · 1Similar allegations have surfaced before: in 2024 Nine Entertainment's 60 Minutes and partner newspapers alleged Zhao was a senior member of a transnational crime syndicate and a member of the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department, and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project made related allegations, while noting he had never been charged and authorities had not publicised evidence. Left · 1In 2024 Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said he did not know if Zhao worked as an operative for the Chinese government, and the Chinese Embassy in Suva called suspicion of links between the Chinese government and the Chinese community in Fiji "entirely groundless". Left · 1Beijing says Overseas Chinese Service Centers help nationals abroad with administrative issues such as renewing driving licences, but rights groups allege they are fronts for pushing Beijing's interests abroad, including targeting dissidents.

Left · 1In February, the Trump administration sanctioned Hokkons Baules, president of Palau's Senate, and Anderson Jibas, a former mayor in the Marshall Islands, for alleged corruption tied to China.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left2 outlets

Framing
Both outlets report the designation as a US action against alleged China-linked corruption in the Pacific, leading with the State Department's accusation. ABC adds Fijian reaction and the history of the allegations; Al Jazeera places it in US-China competition in the Pacific.
Emphasis
ABC: Zhao's denial, Fiji's lack of official notice, 2024 reporting and the absence of charges. Al Jazeera: the State Department's claims, concerns about Overseas Chinese Service Centers and earlier US sanctions on Pacific leaders.
Leaves out or plays down
Al Jazeera omits Zhao's denials and the Fijian government's reaction. ABC does not mention the earlier US sanctions on Pacific figures or the criticism of service centres.
Charged language
“slapped sanctions”“malign foreign influence”
For example
“The US has slapped sanctions on a high-profile Chinese Fijian businessman accused of being a member of a criminal network with ties to the Chinese government.” — ABC News (Australia)
“However, rights groups have alleged they are fronts for Beijing to push interests abroad, including the targeting of dissidents.” — Al Jazeera

Centre0 outlets

No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Right0 outlets

No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.