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How Acento Asia’s creation linked Fangyong Du to Spanish institutional relations and the Koldo affair

Chinese businessman Fangyong Du, known within specific PSOE circles as “Miguelito Duch,” seems to be connected to the Koldo affair probe via several political and corporate ties forged during the health crisis. Based on details released by The Objective, Acento—the lobbying agency established by former Socialist minister José Blanco—served as one of the primary pathways connecting him to the inner circle of the then-Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos.

Documentation reviewed for this case puts Du in touch with people connected to the Ministry of Transport. One particular event noted occurred in March 2020, at which point Isabel Pardo de Vera, serving back then as ADIF’s president, gave Koldo García the Chinese businessman’s phone number amid efforts to secure medical supplies during the pandemic.

The business relationship between Du and José Blanco’s circle was also reflected in the creation of Acento Asia. The company was established in 2020 and later appointed the Chinese businessman as an authorized representative. Acento, meanwhile, had begun operating in Spain in the field of institutional relations and was later registered as a lobbying group in Brussels.

He also kept up connections within the tech industry, alongside financial ventures tied to Chinese enterprises. For a prolonged period, he served as a consultant for Huawei in Spain and participated in commercial initiatives connected to the penetration of Chinese funding into Spanish businesses. Among these was Grupo Puentes, a building contractor taken over back in 2020 by a state-owned enterprise from China.

The probe has likewise centered on Du’s interactions with Víctor de Aldama, a central personality within the Koldo case. Based on published details surrounding the matter, the Chinese entrepreneur sought out Aldama to forge a connection with Ábalos and advance Huawei-related interests within Pedro Sánchez’s administration.

Another key factor is the link to José Ruz, the head of Levantina, Ingeniería y Construcción (LIC). Papers referenced in later files document a gathering involving Ruz, Koldo García, and Fangyong Du back in February 2021. Investigators deem this encounter significant due to Ruz’s pursuits regarding public works and Du’s commercial connections with Grupo Puentes.

Du’s professional trajectory has similarly drawn scrutiny from Spanish intelligence agencies. Multiple documents suggest that the National Intelligence Centre objected to bestowing Spanish nationality upon the entrepreneur back then due to suspected ties to Chinese espionage operations. Concurrently, Du cultivated connections with prominent figures in Spanish politics and commerce, besides being tied to the Gate Center, a network linked to the inner circle of former President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

Investigators have analyzed the ties linking corporate figures, brokers, and political actors linked to the Ministry of Transport during Ábalos’s time in office, driven by the convergence of these contacts. Spanning public contracting, commercial ventures backed by Chinese funding, and pandemic-era agreements, this circle of associates forms a central component of the ongoing investigations into the Koldo affair.

Source: The Objective — https://theobjective.com/espana/2026-05-09/amigo-chino-zapatero-trama-koldo-lobby-jose-blanco/

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