“No sex or love with Chinese people”: new State Department guidelines for US officials
Sexual entrapment – often called “ honey trapping ” – has been a common espionage tactic, and intelligence agencies around the world use it to extract information, compromise targets and/or leverage blackmail.
According to an AP report , new policies are being adopted in Washington that prevent US government personnel with security clearance in China from having romantic or sexual relationships with Chinese citizens . This measure prevents Chinese Communist Party spies from trapping U.S. diplomats. The ban also extends to family members and contractors.
Here's more from AP News:
Four people with direct knowledge of the matter spoke to the AP about the policy, which was put in place by departing U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Burns in January, shortly before he left China. The people spoke only on condition of anonymity to discuss details of a confidential new directive.
Although some US agencies already had strict rules on such relationships, a blanket “non-fraternization” policy, as it is known, has not been seen publicly since the Cold War. It is not uncommon for American diplomats in other countries to date and even marry locals.
The ban highlights the growing threat Washington sees in CCP spies targeting American diplomats and government workers. Both countries remain locked in a global superpower race involving militaries, artificial intelligence, trade and space. President Trump's “ liberation day ,” which imposed new tariffs on China, exacerbated tensions.
Some risks of modern honey traps are
- Cyber-espionage : Fake characters on dating apps and social media.
- Covert surveillance : Setting up hotel rooms to record compromising situations.
- Deep Covers : Long-term embedded agents posing as business partners or romantic interests.
Let's rewind the story to 2009. Britain's MI5 released a 14-page document titled “The Threat of Chinese Espionage” to hundreds of banks, companies and financial institutions. The document warned of a Chinese espionage campaign aimed at blackmailing Western businessmen through sexual liaisons. The document explicitly warned that Chinese spies sought to establish “long-term relationships” and were known to “exploit vulnerabilities such as sexual relationships… to pressure people into cooperating with them.”
How can anyone forget US Congressman Eric Swalwell (Democrat) and his suspected dealings with the Chinese spy “Fang Fang”? A colossal scandal that also had political consequences:
#BREAKING EXCLUSIVE: Eric Swalwell PANICS when I ask about his Chinese spy girlfriend Fang Fang, and whether that's a bigger “national security threat” than Elon Musk
I sat next to a drunk Swalwell at dinner for 90 minutes. He was IMMEDIATELY compromised by a group of… pic.twitter.com/DeZg3EJphW
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) February 25, 2025
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The article “No Sex or Romance with Chinese People”: New State Department Guidelines for US Officials comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/niente-sesso-o-amore-con-i-cinesi-le-nuove-linee-guida-del-dipartimento-di-stato-per-i-funzionari-usa/ on Sat, 05 Apr 2025 14:34:56 +0000.