American government personnel in China with security clearances have been banned from having romantic or sexual relationships with Chinese citizens while abroad.
According to the Associated Press, this includes their families and contractors and was put into effect by former U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Burns in January before President Donald Trump took office later that month.
Speaking to the AP on condition that their identities would be kept anonymous, two individuals said the policy was discussed during the summer of 2024, after members of Congress had contacted Burns with concerns about restrictions on relationships not being tough enough.
Burns allegedly broadened an already existing policy that prohibited U.S. personnel from “romantic and sexual relations” with Chinese citizens who worked as support staff at the U.S. Embassy and five other consulates located in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang, Wuhan, and the American consulate in Hong Kong.
The AP further reported the ban does not apply to U.S. personnel outside of China. The only exception to the ban is if there was already a pre-existing relationship with a Chinese citizen, in which case, the U.S. citizen could apply for an exemption.
Those who violate the policy would be ordered to leave China immediately. However, while the policy was communicated verbally and electronically to U.S. personnel in China, the AP reports it has not yet been publicly announced.
Intelligence experts have said that Beijing uses “honeypots” to entice Americans into giving up secrets, and while U.S. personnel in China were required to report intimate contact with Chinese citizens, they were not banned from having sexual or romantic relationships. U.S. officials have previously warned that case studies have shown Chinese intelligence services had sent attractive women to seduce American diplomats.
