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The dismissal is believed to be the first of its kind for
violating a ban on such relationships that was introduced late
last year under the Biden administration.
The Associated Press reported earlier this year that in the
waning days of Democrat Joe Biden's presidency, the State
Department imposed a ban on all American government personnel in
China, as well as family members and contractors with security
clearances, from any romantic or sexual relationships with
Chinese citizens.
Tommy Pigott, a State Department spokesman, said in a statement
that the diplomat in question was dismissed from the foreign
service after President Donald Trump and Secretary of State
Marco Rubio reviewed the case and determined that he had
“admitted concealing a romantic relationship with a Chinese
national with known ties to the Chinese Communist Party.”
"Under Secretary Rubio’s leadership, we will maintain a
zero-tolerance policy for any employee who is caught undermining
our country’s national security,” Pigott said.
The statement did not identify the diplomat, but he and his
girlfriend had been featured in a surreptitiously filmed video
posted online by conservative firebrand James O’Keefe.
In Beijing, a Chinese government spokesperson declined to
comment on what he said is a domestic U.S. issue. “But I would
like to stress that we oppose drawing lines based on ideological
difference and maliciously smearing China,” the Foreign
Ministry's Guo Jiakun said at a daily briefing.
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Associated Press writer Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to
this report.
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