By MATTHEW LEE, Related Press Diplomatic Author
WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Division mentioned Wednesday that it has fired a U.S. diplomat over a romantic relationship he admitted having with a Chinese language girl alleged to have ties to the Chinese language Communist Social gathering.
The dismissal is believed to be the primary of its form for violating a ban on such relationships that was launched late final yr below the Biden administration.
The Related Press reported earlier this yr that within the waning days of Democrat Joe Biden’s presidency, the State Division imposed a ban on all American authorities personnel in China, in addition to members of the family and contractors with safety clearances, from any romantic or sexual relationships with Chinese language residents.
Tommy Pigott, a State Division spokesman, mentioned in a press release that the diplomat in query was dismissed from the international service after President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio reviewed the case and decided that he had “admitted concealing a romantic relationship with a Chinese language nationwide with identified ties to the Chinese language Communist Social gathering.”
“Beneath Secretary Rubio’s management, we are going to preserve a zero-tolerance coverage for any worker who’s caught undermining our nation’s nationwide safety,” Pigott mentioned.
The assertion didn’t determine the diplomat, however he and his girlfriend had been featured in a surreptitiously filmed video posted on-line by conservative firebrand James O’Keefe.
In Beijing, a Chinese language authorities spokesperson declined to touch upon what he mentioned is a home U.S. subject. “However I want to stress that we oppose drawing strains primarily based on ideological distinction and maliciously smearing China,” the Overseas Ministry’s Guo Jiakun mentioned at a each day briefing.
Related Press author Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this report.
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