OAN Staff Blake Wolf
4:02 PM – Thursday, April 3, 2025
The United States government has prohibited all romantic and sexual relationships between U.S. government employees or affiliated personnel and Chinese citizens while stationed or present in China.
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The policy, which took effect in January, bars all U.S. diplomatic staff, contractors, and family members with security clearances stationed in mainland China and Hong Kong, according to the Associated Press.
The ban was put in place by U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Burns just days prior to President Donald Trump being sworn in, and it was an addition to a more limited policy banning U.S. personnel from “romantic and sexual relations” with Chinese citizens operating at the U.S. Embassy — as well as the five consulates in China.
The policy does not apply to U.S. personnel stationed outside of China and employees “can apply for an exemption” from the policy if they already had pre-existing relations prior to the policy taking effect.
The initiative was introduced after multiple members of Congress approached Burns, voicing their concerns regarding romantic relationships with Chinese citizens that could potentially compromise national security, according to the Associated Press.
Individuals who are found to break the policy will be forced to leave China, according to the outlet.
Former CIA analyst Peter Mattis stated that there were at least two publicized cases in which Chinese agents had seduced American diplomats in China — in an attempt to acquire confidential government information.
“The MSS (China’s Ministry of State Security) is willing to leverage any human connection that a target has to collect intelligence,” Mattis stated.
“This rule change suggests the MSS has gotten a lot more aggressive at trying to access the embassy and U.S. government,” he added.
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