The US Department of State publicly designated Zhao Fugang, director of the Overseas Chinese Service Center in Fiji, for involvement in corruption benefiting Chinese government, business, and criminal interests. According to a State Department press release issued Wednesday, Zhao abused his public position by paying bribes to Fijian citizens to advance objectives tied to China. The designation renders Zhao and his immediate family members ineligible for entry into the United States.
US embassy officials in Suva characterized Zhao’s actions as creating vulnerability for Fiji to foreign interference from Chinese government, business, and criminal entities. The embassy noted that public reporting has documented a pattern of criminal networks operating throughout the Pacific region with connections to China.
Beijing describes Overseas Chinese Service Centers as administrative support offices that assist Chinese nationals abroad with matters such as license renewals. However, human rights organizations have characterized these centers as instruments through which Beijing promotes its interests internationally, including surveillance and targeting of political opponents.
This designation reflects an emerging policy focus by the US administration on countering alleged corruption linked to Chinese influence in the Pacific. Earlier this year in February, the State Department sanctioned two Pacific island leaders on similar grounds, targeting Hokkons Baules, president of Palau’s Senate, and Anderson Jibas, a former mayor in the Marshall Islands, for allegedly facilitating expanded Chinese influence in the region.
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