Andrew Napuat, the internal affairs minister, said Tuesday the Canadian expatriate was barred from the country because he had continued working after his work permit expired. “His work permit refusal has nothing to do with his reporting with China, the government has already dealt with this and it is no longer an issue,” Napuat told reporters. Meanwhile, China’s shadow has fallen increasingly over the island nation, like other Pacific countries, in recent years. Almost all the buyers are wealthy Chinese, who use Vanuatu citizenship mostly to travel to Europe without needing a visa. The Canadian said he has lawyers in Australia and Vanuatu fighting the ban and he’s confident it will eventually be overturned.

Source: National Post November 20, 2019 23:15 UTC