Washington, Oct 9 (AP) The State Department announced Wednesday that a U.S. diplomat has been dismissed over a romantic relationship with a Chinese woman purportedly linked to the Chinese Communist Party.
This incident is reportedly the first dismissal under a new regulation implemented late last year by the Biden administration prohibiting such relationships.
Earlier this year, the Associated Press revealed that the State Department, during the final months of President Joe Biden's term, enacted a ban on all American government staff in China, as well as their family members and contractors with security clearances, from engaging in romantic or sexual relationships with Chinese nationals.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott stated that the diplomat was removed from service following a review by President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. They concluded that the diplomat “admitted to concealing a romantic relationship with a Chinese national with established connections to the Chinese Communist Party.” “Under Secretary Rubio's leadership, we are committed to a zero-tolerance stance for any employee found to be compromising our national security,” Pigott emphasized.
The diplomat's identity remains undisclosed, although he and his partner were discreetly filmed in a video released online by conservative provocateur James O'Keefe.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Chinese government in Beijing refrained from commenting on what is described as an internal U.S. affair. “We strongly oppose actions that draw lines based on ideological differences and seek to defame China,” stated Guo Jiakun from the Foreign Ministry during a routine press briefing. (AP)
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