U.S. Designates Fiji-Based Chinese Businessman Zhao Fugang for 'Significant Corruption'; He Denies the Allegations
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of State announced on Oct. 7 that it is publicly designating Zhao Fugang, director of the Overseas Chinese Service Center in Fiji, for his involvement in significant corruption on behalf of China-based actors. The designation renders Zhao and his immediate family members generally ineligible for entry into the United States. Zhao's lawyer says he denies the allegations.
In the statement, department spokesman Thomas "Tommy" Pigott said the designation was made under Section 7031(c) of the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2026. The department said Zhao "abused his public position by paying bribes to Fijian citizens to advance China-based government, business, and criminal interests," that his actions constituted significant corruption and adversely affected U.S. interests in Fiji, and that the United States will hold accountable those who abuse power for personal gain and continue to fight corruption that fuels drug trafficking and enables transnational criminal organizations.
Zhao, a China-born Fijian citizen based in Suva, is a hotel owner and a leading figure in Fiji's Chinese business community. Investigations by the Sydney Morning Herald and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) reported that Australia's Criminal Intelligence Commission had listed Zhao as a high-priority organized-crime target and that the Australian Federal Police and Australian intelligence agencies provided information that informed the U.S. decision; the investigations alleged ties to a syndicate involved in drug smuggling, money laundering and human trafficking. Zhao has not been charged with any crime, and the State Department did not publish details of the alleged bribes.
"Mr. Zhao denies the allegations; he was never given a chance to respond to the allegations," his lawyer, Nikheel Nambiar, told OCCRP. Nambiar said the allegations were unsubstantiated and without any supporting evidence.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：斐济首都苏瓦的海港中心一带，赵富刚长期在苏瓦经商。图片来源：Maksym Kozlenko，CC BY-SA 4.0，经维基共享资源（Wikimedia Commons）发布。The Harbour Centre area of Suva, the capital of Fiji, where Zhao Fugang has long been based as a businessman. Photo: Maksym Kozlenko, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
