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 analyzed in connection with the case places Du in contact with individuals linked to the Ministry of Transport. One of the episodes identified took place in March 2020, when Isabel Pardo de Vera, then president of ADIF, provided Koldo García with the Chinese businessman’s telephone number in the context of arrangements related to the acquisition of 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 investigation has also focused on Du’s contacts with Víctor de Aldama, one of the main figures in the Koldo affair. According to information published about the case, the Chinese businessman turned to Aldama in an attempt to establish contact with Ábalos and promote matters involving Huawei with the government of Pedro Sánchez.
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.
The combination of these contacts has led investigators to examine the relationships between businessmen, intermediaries and political officials who operated around the Ministry of Transport during Ábalos’s tenure. The network includes individuals connected to public procurement, business operations involving Chinese capital and arrangements carried out during the pandemic, all of which form part of the inquiries into the Koldo affair.
Source: The Objective — https://theobjective.com/espana/2026-05-09/amigo-chino-zapatero-trama-koldo-lobby-jose-blanco/
