An employee of the US State Department, fired because he has hidden a relationship with a possible Chinese spy
The administration of US President Donald Trump has announced the dismissal of an employee of the US State Department, accused of hiding a love affair with a Chinese citizen whom the authorities claim to have links with the Chinese Communist Party.
Suspicions of spy photo shutterstock
The decision was announced on Wednesday by the Trump administration. “The State Department officially ended the contract of an agent of the diplomatic service who acknowledged that he has hidden a love affair with a Chinese citizen known for his bonds with the Chinese Communist Party“Said Tommy Pigott, spokesman for the State Department, quoted by Agerpres.
The employee's identity was not made public. In a filmed statement, he stated that the woman with whom he had a relationship “could have been a spy”. However, the State Department did not specify whether there is concrete evidence of espionage.
The American official also said that his partner's father was “A convinced member of the Communist Party ”.
The first dismissal based on Trump's executive order
The State Department stressed that this is the first known dismissal made on the basis of an executive order recently signed by President Donald Trump, who asks all employees to “President's policies”.
“We will maintain a zero tolerance policy for any employee surprised to harm the national security of our country.”added the spokesman Tommy Pigott.
Strict measures on personal relationships in China
Earlier this year, the United States imposed an unusual rule, forbidding their employees in China to have romantic relationships with locals, a measure reminiscent of the Cold War and reflecting increasing stresses between Washington and Beijing in the field of security.
