US restricts diplomats' personal ties in China crackdown
The US government has prohibited American government employees in China from having any romantic or sexual relationships with Chinese citizens, reports AP. The ban also applies to the families of the employees.
What you need to know:
- American government employees in China and their families cannot establish romantic relationships with Chinese citizens.
- The outgoing U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Burns introduced a confidential directive in January.
- Violation of the ban will result in immediate expulsion from China.
Ambassador Burns introduced the first restrictions last summer. They involved a prohibition on relationships with Chinese citizens working as guards or performing other tasks at the U.S. embassy and consulates in Shanghai, Wuhan, Shenyang, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong. The new policy does not include U.S. personnel stationed outside of China.
The only exception to this rule is for government employees who had previously established relationships with Chinese nationals. They may apply for exemption from this restriction, but if their request is denied, they must end the relationship or leave their position. "Anyone who violates the policy will be ordered to leave China immediately," AP reports, citing sources close to the matter.
US guidelines. The ban on relationships was already in place
Before Burns imposed the ban, American personnel in China were required to report any intimate contacts with Chinese nationals. According to AP, the State Department and other government agencies with offices in China have long had strict requirements regarding the reporting of personal relationships of stationed personnel, including with Russians and Cubans, who pose a significant intelligence threat.
The ban on friendly and erotic relationships was already in effect during the Cold War for American personnel stationed in the Soviet bloc countries and China. It was intended to be relaxed after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
American diplomats and intelligence experts assert that Beijing aggressively uses various methods to gain access to American government secrets, writes AP. Before travelling to China, US personnel are informed about cases where Chinese intelligence services have sent attractive women to lure American diplomats. Employees are also warned that "dozens of Chinese security agents may be assigned to monitor" their activities.
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