Bangladesh, Sept. 12 -- Fresh reporting on alleged Chinese government appointments involving the former US cabinet secretary is reviving long-standing questions about Beijing's influence, conflicts of interest and whether Washington ever properly scrutinized her extensive China connections.

Elaine Chao has spent decades at the highest levels of American government, serving as US secretary of Labor under President George W. Bush and later as secretary of Transportation under President Donald Trump. Her marriage to Mitch McConnell, the longtime Republican Senate leader, further cemented her position within the American political establishment.

But a new investigation is bringing renewed attention to another dimension of Chao's career: he...