The telecom tycoon who plans to build a $50 billion interoceanic canal across Nicaragua, Wang Jing, 42, has been described in Chinese media as a “round-faced, thick-eyebrowed, big and tall man who knows how to keep a low profile internationally.” A Chinese business analyst said that Wang is “incredibly arrogant” and that his project is “absurd” in its lack of environmental feasibility. Wang, however, has repeatedly emphasized how ordinary he is, describing himself as “an exceedingly simple man.”

But to the many critics of the canal project, both inside Nicaragua and out, such statements have only increased speculation that Wang is the frontman for a state-supported extension of soft Chinese power into an area more often seen as the diplomatic backyard of the United States.

Some government links seem obvious. Wang’s Beijing-based Xinwei Telecom Technology Co. was partly funded by China’s Ministry of Post and Telecommunications and partially owned by state-owned enterprise the Datang Telecom Technology and Industry Group. The Xinwei website boasts photos of Wang and other company executives flanked by the likes of President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and National People’s Congress Standing Committee Chairman Zhang Dejiang.

Public records show that Xinwei in February signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on public works projects with Beijing officials — the latest of several indications of Xinwei’s long-running ties to local and national government. Despite Wang’s claims that he is not a member of China’s ruling Communist Party, a man who fits his description has participated in military celebrations and other party-related activities, records show. Beijing party officials did not respond to requests to confirm the nature of his role in local government.

Xinwei is reported to have several contracts to supply the Chinese military with technology. The company’s slogan is “Xinwei’s spirit — independent innovation, devotion to the country.” And if that devotion weren’t already clear, Wang plays People’s Liberation Army songs in the corridors of the company’s Beijing headquarters twice daily, Taiwan’s Want China Times news site reports, suggesting that Wang is concealing a military background from the public.