Fiji MP Mocks US Embassy After Free China Trip

Member of the Opposition, Ketan Lal, is facing growing public scrutiny after mocking the U.S. Embassy in Suva on social media and making a string of pro-China posts—shortly after returning from a Chinese government-funded trip.

The opposition MP was invited to China under the “2025 Programme for Youth Representatives from Pacific Island Countries,” hosted by the Guangdong Foreign Affairs Office. The 20-day trip was reportedly fully funded by the Chinese government and is part of Beijing’s broader Belt and Road engagement in the Pacific.

But it was a post mocking the U.S. Embassy that triggered a big surprise.

In an unprecedented move for a sitting MP, Lal posted, “China burnt US 😏😄☠,” while sharing screenshots of a post by the embassy and a response from another social media user criticising them—raising eyebrows over the conduct expected of elected officials engaging with international partners.

The emojis usage was seemingly designed to show maximum disrespect to the United States. The trolling prompted criticism not only for its tone but also for its possible diplomatic implications.

The United States is one of Fiji’s key development partners and security allies.

In fact, the government of Fiji is currently in key negotiations with the Trump administration regarding potential tariffs that could be imposed on Fiji.

While unlikely, this move could work against us in these negotiations, which could also inadvertently benefit Ketan Lal's , as the cost of living would increase—and that is one of the opposition's key campaign points against the Coalition government.

We have sent Opposition Leader Inia Seruiratu questions as to whether his Opposition is deliberately trying to derail negotiations and drive up the cost of living.

China, meanwhile, gets the best of both worlds, whether the government changes or not, or whether the cost of living goes up or not.

In December 2023, Lal was singing a different tune, calling into question public funding for Great Council of Chiefs (GCC) delegations.

At the time, he posted, “GCC wants to go to China #CavaQo #partytime,” and asked whether taxpayers should bear the cost of such visits.

Yet this stance appears to have shifted since participating in the Chinese-funded exchange.

As part of our investigation into foreign influence and diplomatic engagement by elected representatives, Duavata News contacted Ketan Lal with several questions.

We asked Lal whether it is ethical or prudent for a sitting MP to mock an international diplomatic mission and to explain his understanding of the One China policy and whether he believes Taiwan has the right to freedom and sovereignty.

We also asked if his comments were designed to derail tariff negotiations with the US to increase the cost of living for Fijians.

While it's unlikely that Lal will have any real impact on negotiations, the ease with which a foreign country can seemingly influence the opinions of our members of Parliament is frightening.

Veteran journalist Graham Davis has earlier published an article highlighting the potential security implications that members of Parliament pose because of their direct links to foreign governments.

At the time of publication, Mr Lal had not responded to our questions. We have also sent questions to Parliament on how much allowance Lal received during the trip.