讀後心得

The U.S. government has banned government officials stationed in China and their families from developing romantic or sexual relationships with Chinese citizens. This policy was implemented in January of this year and extends to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and several consulates. While there have been regulations regarding such relationships in the past, this comprehensive ban is the first of its kind since the end of the Cold War. Personnel stationed in China are required to report intimate contacts with Chinese citizens to their superiors. The relevant policy has not been officially announced, and the State Department declined to comment on it.

According to reports, the U.S. government has prohibited government officials stationed in China, along with their families, and contractors with security clearances from having any romantic or sexual relationships with Chinese citizens. This policy began to be implemented shortly before the U.S. Ambassador to China left in January this year. Although some U.S. agencies already have strict regulations regarding such relationships, a blanket "no dating" policy had not appeared since the end of the Cold War. It is not uncommon for U.S. diplomats stationed in other countries to date or even marry locals.

Reports indicate that last summer there were already regulations in place prohibiting staff at U.S. consulates in China from having romantic relationships with local guards and other Chinese service personnel. This policy has also been expanded to prohibit all personnel stationed in China from having such relationships with Chinese citizens. The new policy covers the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and consulates located in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang, and Wuhan, as well as the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong. The policy was communicated to U.S. personnel in China in January through verbal and electronic messages, but it has yet to be publicly announced. The U.S. State Department has stated that it does not comment on internal matters.

During the Cold War, employees of U.S. missions abroad were often seen as prime targets for intelligence agencies from other countries to obtain sensitive information. Declassified documents show that in the late 1980s, the U.S. government prohibited personnel working in the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and China from befriending, dating, or having sexual relations with locals. These restrictions were somewhat relaxed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Before the new ban was introduced, U.S. personnel in China were required to report any intimate contact with Chinese citizens, but there was no explicit prohibition against sexual or romantic relationships. Peter Mattis, a former CIA analyst, stated that at least two publicly reported cases involved Chinese agents attempting to seduce U.S. diplomats in China, though he has not heard of similar incidents recently. He added that another issue is that China's Ministry of State Security may collect intelligence not only through espionage but could also threaten or intimidate ordinary Chinese citizens to obtain information, meaning that any Chinese citizens dating U.S. diplomats could potentially be coerced.

With the U.S. government's significant downsizing plan, it is possible that opportunities for recruiting spies will increase.

• The policy prohibits U.S. officials and their families stationed in China from having romantic or sexual relationships with Chinese citizens
• This is the first all-encompassing policy of this kind since the Cold War
• The prohibition encompasses the embassy in Beijing and several other cities' consulates
• U.S. personnel in China are required to report intimate contact