US dismisses diplomat for hiding romantic relationship with Chinese national tied to Communist Party

WASHINGTON, Oct 9 — The administration of US President Donald Trump announced yesterday that a State Department employee has been dismissed for failing to disclose a romantic relationship with a Chinese national.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the Foreign Service officer was terminated after admitting to concealing the relationship with a Chinese citizen known to have ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

He noted that the Chinese Communist Party plays a pervasive role in many aspects of life in China — including business and education — with many citizens maintaining connections for practical rather than ideological reasons.

According to the department, this marks the first dismissal under an executive order signed by Trump shortly after returning to office, which mandates all employees to “faithfully implement the president’s policy.”

“We will uphold a zero-tolerance policy against any employee found compromising our nation’s security,” Pigott said.

Earlier this year, the US government also imposed restrictions on its employees in China, prohibiting romantic relationships with local citizens — a move reminiscent of Cold War-era policies. — AFP