WASHINGTON — The U.S. government has prohibited American government employees in China, along with their family members and contractors holding security clearances, from engaging in any romantic or sexual relationships with Chinese nationals, according to information obtained by The Associated Press.
Four individuals with direct knowledge of the matter disclosed the policy to the AP. The policy was implemented by outgoing U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Burns in January, shortly before his departure from China. These individuals requested anonymity to discuss the specifics of the confidential directive.
Although certain U.S. agencies already had stringent rules regarding such relationships, a comprehensive “non-fraternization” policy of this nature has not been publicly known since the Cold War era. It is common practice for American diplomats in other nations to date and even marry local citizens.
A more restricted version of the policy was previously enacted last summer, forbidding U.S. personnel from engaging in “romantic and sexual relations” with Chinese citizens working as guards and other support staff at the U.S. Embassy and five consulates in China. However, Ambassador Burns broadened the scope to include a blanket ban on such relationships with any Chinese citizen within China in January, just before President Donald Trump’s departure from office. The AP could not ascertain the precise definition of “romantic or sexual relationship” as used in the policy.
According to two individuals familiar with the ban, the new policy was initially discussed last summer following concerns raised by members of Congress to Ambassador Burns about the perceived inadequacy of existing restrictions on such relationships. The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party did not provide a response when asked for their comments.
The new policy encompasses U.S. missions in mainland China, including the embassy in Beijing and consulates located in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang, and Wuhan, as well as the American consulate in Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous territory. It does not extend to U.S. personnel stationed outside of China.
The only exception to this policy is for U.S. personnel who already have existing relationships with Chinese citizens; they are eligible to apply for waivers. Should a waiver be denied, they are required to terminate the relationship or resign from their position, according to sources. Any individual found in violation of the policy will be immediately ordered to leave China.
The policy was communicated to American personnel in China through both verbal and electronic channels in January, but it has not been officially announced to the public.
The State Department has stated that it refrains from commenting on internal matters. The National Security Council directed inquiries to the State Department. Former Ambassador Burns did not respond to a request for comment sent by the AP to his email address at The Cohen Group, a consultancy firm where he resumed his position as vice chair in February.
A Cold War throwback
Intelligence agencies worldwide have historically utilized attractive individuals to gather sensitive information, a practice notably prevalent during the Cold War. The State Department and other agencies with offices in China have long-standing, rigorous reporting requirements concerning personal relationships for American personnel stationed there, as well as in countries considered high intelligence threats, such as Russia or Cuba.
show that in 1987, the U.S. government forbade personnel stationed in the Soviet bloc and China from befriending, dating or having sex with locals after a U.S. Marine in Moscow was seduced by a Soviet spy. Such restrictions were relaxed after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, .
In China, a comprehensive ban on such relationships had not been in place for several years. Prior to the new ban implemented in January, U.S. personnel in China were obligated to report any intimate contact with Chinese citizens to their superiors but were not explicitly prohibited from engaging in sexual or romantic relationships.
U.S. diplomats and intelligence experts suggest that Beijing continues to aggressively employ “honeypots” to gain access to American secrets. During pre-stationing briefings, U.S. personnel are presented with case studies in which Chinese intelligence services deployed attractive women to seduce American diplomats. They are also warned that numerous Chinese state security agents may be assigned to monitor any diplomat of interest.
Details regarding the U.S. government’s non-fraternization policies in other locations are limited due to their classified nature. The degree of restrictiveness of such policies in other countries remains unknown.
Rising tensions, tighter controls
In recent years, tensions between Washington and Beijing have intensified over issues related to trade, technology, and geopolitical competition.
Peter Mattis, a former CIA analyst and the president of The Jamestown Foundation, a think tank based in Washington, mentioned that there have been at least two publicly disclosed incidents in which Chinese agents seduced American diplomats stationed in China, although he has not encountered such cases in recent years.
Mattis further explained that another concern is that Chinese state security gathers intelligence not only through spies but also by pressuring ordinary Chinese citizens for information, often through intimidation or threats. This implies that any Chinese citizen dating an American diplomat could be susceptible to coercion.
“The MSS is willing to leverage any human connection that a target has to collect intelligence,” Mattis stated, using an acronym for China’s Ministry of State Security. “This rule change suggests the MSS has gotten a lot more aggressive at trying to access the embassy and U.S. government.”
The Chinese foreign ministry did not provide comments regarding the ban, stating in a faxed statement that it was “more appropriate to ask the U.S. about this question.”
China has also been tightening its already strict controls on its personnel stationed overseas, based on Chinese regulations, news reports, and accounts from four individuals familiar with China’s bureaucracy, who spoke anonymously due to the sensitivity of the topic. In recent years, Beijing has begun strictly enforcing regulations that prevent promotions for Chinese civil servants whose spouses have acquired foreign citizenship and restrict diplomats from spending extended periods in a single country, requiring some to return to China.
China’s foreign ministry and many other government bodies bar their officials and staff from sexual or romantic relations with foreign citizens, while members of the Chinese military or police are generally barred from leaving China altogether without express approval from their supervisors.
—Kang reported from Beijing.